Making a rubbish situation better!

Amy spent her life giving every ounce of herself to those around her, whether family, friends, or strangers. We met through a strange set of circumstances but became close because she was caring for my partner's grandad. She is an overqualified palliative care nurse with 15 years' worth of her life spent caring for people at the very end of the hardest journey any family has to take...

...On January 1st, 2020, she found some lumps on her neck and, when investigated, found she had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. For those who don't know, this is an incurable form of blood cancer that, at its best, can be managed but never gotten rid of and, at its worst, will break her body down and cause a very miserable end.

Since her diagnosis, she has fought it with a passionate avengance. As she could no longer work, she cared for family and friends during their dark days to keep herself busy and feeling like she was still using the skills she had to help others, all whilst she was fighting her own battles.

During treatment over the last four years, she has lost her hair, her passion, and her fight. The longest she has ever had in remission is four months, long enough to recover from the treatment, try to get her life a bit more up together and then like every time before the physical effects start returning and she is back to the consultant to fight to get treated in the hope that this time, it will be long enough for her to enjoy life again.

Sadly, she has also lost her mother, the wonderful Maggie... Her best friend, the legend that is Ian... And another four members of her very close circle whilst going through this fight. We have many times said that nothing more can happen, and yet it seems to.

Quality of life is something that is talked about regarding cancer and cancer treatment all the time. Amy has not had a quality of life for some time now, it has essentially been a constant circle of treatment, grief, bills, exhaustion, treatment, grief... And so on...

Amy is aware that this diagnosis is palliative and, therefore, is more than aware of what is to come. In a bid to postpone this for as long as possible, she will be starting a three-week course of radiotherapy on 13/3/25, but unfortunately, if this does not work, she will require four weeks in the hospital for a far more serious form of treatment. All of these things come at a cost, whether that be petrol or getting a dog sitter, all whilst still paying the bills.

Her wonderful mother Maggie let Amy stay in the house for the remainder of her life, providing she maintained it. That has not been easy as one thing after another has happened, including major works to the front due to there being no lintels and the house flooding. When getting the Christmas decorations out in November last year, she noticed she could see daylight through the roof but has been unable to get it fixed as those kinds of funds simply don't exist at this time...

She has been engaged for eighteen months, with no opportunity in sight to either afford or have the energy for her special day. Treatment has meant holidays are near impossible, needing to be close to her hospital 'just in case'. But more than anything else, not being able to work due to her health means making ends meet is a constantly losing battle, having to use food banks and beg and barter to be able to get through the month.

In a world full of 60-second videos and click bait to get you to buy the newest fad, it's easy to forget how hard getting through daily life can be for some. I am not doing this to make her a millionaire, but because there comes a time when you're battling something like this that making sure your bills are paid is a stress you don't need!

If you can donate a couple of million quid she would probably give it back because she's too proud, but if you can help her pay her bills, have a nice meal or may be, one day, wear a white dress and walk down the aisle she might just be able to fight another day with a smile on her face ❤