Jo, aged 35 from Detling, near Maidstone, was told she had breast cancer at the early age of 28.
Treatment involving chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and radio-therapy followed, along with a much-anticipated all clear. After five years, however, the cancer returned to her spine and Jo, who has a son of 16 years, is now living with a terminal illness.
She says ‘there are days when I feel rubbish, and just cannot get out of bed. My cancer is terminal but I prefer to call it incurable because it will take a long time to get around to killing me. I do get depressed, but the hospice is a massive pick-me-up.’
Jo has stayed at the Hospice in the In patient unit for pain and symptom control and also attends day therapy sessions each Wednesday which is for younger patients. During this time patients can just chat to each other or take part in art of craft activities. On occasions, too, complementary therapies are available to patients in addition to the chance of having a manicure or pedicure – most of which are provided by volunteers.
Jo says that she would prefer to die in the Hospice, rather than at home: ‘the first time the Hospice was mentioned to me I didn’t want to go because I thought it would be full of old people who were dying. Last summer however I got so down because the pain was bad. My oncologist suggested a stay in the Hospice and it was the best decision I ever made.’
Rather than moping about her diagnosis, Jo, who is a single parent, believes that it is much harder on her son, Josh, than it is on her. ‘People with cancer sometimes feel like saying ‘why me?’ but I say ‘why not? I do say ‘why Josh’, though, as he shouldn’t have to deal with it. One of the positive things is that we have grown really close. He says he would rather have me as his mum for five minutes rather than anyone else!’
