My name is Cathrina and in May last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I did the first trip to the hospital on my own and discovered that it was not something that I wanted to continue doing on my own. You really need someone there to help and support you and that’s when Helen offered to come up to the hospital with me.
She came to every oncologist appointment with me, and when she could, she also came when I had my chemo therapy. As you can see I finished all that and I have got my hair back!
The support she gave to me during that time was really important to me. It’s a very worrying time. It’s a very emotional time. To have someone to talk to, to lean on, to discuss things with was so helpful for me.
After that I actually had a bad back and I ended up in hospital. This was in July of last year. When I was in hospital Johnny and Helen were fantastic because they come to visit me. Johnny actually fixed me up so that I could watch the television in the hospital; which was great. And then in October I ended up in hospital again because my back went. And I was in Candalaria for three weeks. It was a very difficult time again, because I discovered that I not only had a bad back but I lost the use of my left leg.

And on the 27th of October when I came out of the hospital Helen came and picked me up with a wheel chair. She actually took me to my very last chemo therapy which happened to be the same day. Johnny and Helen were so kind because they opened up their house to me. And they gave me some where to stay – for ten days – where they could completely look after me because, as I said, I was in a wheel chair. There were all sorts of things that I needed to learn because I have never been in that position before. Not least of which was how to wheel a wheel chair. My scraped. knuckles were testament to the fact that I wasn’t very good at getting through doorways to begin with. They helped me. They taught me how to use the wheel chair. Helen who is a nurse was great because she helped me learn how to learn how to walk a little bit again. And also very importantly for me, how to go up and down stairs safely. Because my apartment was accessed via steps. So when I did come out of hospital in October I couldn’t get to my apartment and neither could I look after my self. There was no point in my sister coming from Scotland to help me until I actually could get into the apartment. Helen was just fantastic in supporting me and helping me to achieve that. About ten days later we had a dry run and I managed to get up the steps to the apartment, with a bit of help, and get into the apartment and then I was able to tell my sister to book her flight and come over. Since that time I’ve had a back operation and I’ve been using crutches and a walking frame. Both of which Helen has lend me. I’ve been getting gradually stronger and stronger. But she still comes up to the hospital with me when I’ve got oncology appointments.
I just can’t thank both of them enough for all the help and support that they’ve been giving me during the time when I really needed it and I couldn’t manage on my own. And one of these things that you just think, I just need somebody with me. They were there right the way through. I can just say, thank you so much for all of the help you’ve been giving me.