Cancer is Everywhere

Emma Day is mum of three beautiful children including twins. She loves poetry, dancing, music and writing. She blogs about her journey with Thyroid Cancer and raises money for Cancer Research UK. Read more on Crazy with Twins

To many people, Cancer is not something they think about on a daily basis.

To many people, Cancer is something that strikes a friend or relative if they are really unlucky.

To some people, Cancer has taken someone they love and left a hole in their heart.

To me? Cancer is everywhere.

Cancer took two years of my childhood, yet I do not feel robbed of those years. I learnt more about life, family and the human body in those two years, than any child could learn in school. I may have been plagued with illness, terrified of death and hit some really low points, but every day I thank my lucky stars I am here now, and I was able to have three beautiful children.

I lost friends on the childrens ward to Cancer. Death is not something I can deal with, in any form. Cancer however… well I knew I had a high chance of getting that again.

My gran won her battle against skin cancer, only to be struck down and taken from us, by lung cancer. (For the record, I’m anti-smoking, but then so was she).

My grandad is currently fighting two different Cancers, one of which he will have for the rest of his life.

My dad is currently fighting an aggressive Prostate Cancer.

Cancer seems to be everywhere I look. My friend, my father in law, two of my husbands cousins, have all fought and won, in recent years.

In January this year, I finally went to the doctors about a lump I’d had in my neck for a few years. I started my conversation with the doctor, by saying “I’m more than likely being a hypochondriac and I expect it’s just a swollen gland”. A week later I was in surgery having a 6 cm malignant cancerous tumour removed, and my thyroid along with it.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma it is called. I’ve been fighting it for a year. I hit national and international press with my story of being “Radioactive Mum” (Google it – you’ll see!). This week I am having more radiation and a full body scan. It will confirm one of the following scenarios:

1) The Cancer is gone
2) The Cancer is still there
3) The Cancer has spread

And even if it has gone, there is a chance I will still need more radioactive treatment. From there – well hospital appointments every year and thyroid hormones by tablet every day… for the rest of my life.

But please don’t pity me. That’s not what I want. Anyone who knows me, knows I am strong and positive 99% of the time. Optimism and love, get me through. And blogging, fundraising and raising awareness too. If I can help someone else’s battle, whether emotionally, or through earlier diagnosis, it will all be worth it.

Someone asked my mum, “how do you cope, with your daughter having Cancer again?”.

She replied, “Emma copes, so I cope. She is going through it, not me”.

This particular type of Thyroid Cancer is non-hereditary

… so could somebody please explain to me, why my wonderful mum, is now awaiting surgery, to have the very same Cancer cut out?

Yep that’s right. My mum has just been diagnosed, with the very same Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma as me!

So I look around me, and I think about the places we have been together, the things we have done together and try to come up with a reasonable solution. What have we both been exposed to? What has caused this?

I then come to the conclusion, that Cancer is not just everywhere, in the psychological sense, but in the physical sense too.

I’d like to take this opportunity, to ask all readers of this post, to get all lumps and bumps checked out as soon as possible. It’s better to feel silly for worrying about nothing, than find out too late, that you should have checked. And watch out for the Stand Up To Cancer Appeal. It’s taking a break from TV this year, but will be standing stronger from 2014 onwards and needs your support.