Becky and James' story

Last autumn, Becky was feeling exhausted with pains in her abdomen. After a blood test, she was sent for an ultrasound in December which showed lesions (abnormal growths) on her liver.

Becky said, “We were waiting for an urgent CT scan. I was anxious and feeling worse, so James took me to Accident and Emergency at Broomfield Hospital. I had a serious infection and was admitted for three weeks over Christmas and New Year. They did CT scans on my liver, abdomen and chest plus a biopsy on my liver. I was only allowed out for seven hours with my family on Christmas Day.”

The scans and tests showed that Becky had cancer with more lesions on her lungs. She was told she may only have weeks to live and that her cancer may be treatable but not curable. Becky was referred to Farleigh Hospice initially for end of life care. Becky said, “It was devastating news. I was very frightened and had to prepare for the worst. I gave James my passwords, my life insurance information, everything.”

James added, “I couldn’t understand how she was suddenly so ill. She had blood tests during her pregnancy which were fine and ran 5km every week and now she was lying in bed, feeling terrible with yellowing skin.”

The colonoscopy and a further biopsy confirmed that Becky had colorectal cancer which had spread to her liver and lungs. She started chemotherapy at the end of January while James juggled his busy sales manager job and looking after their girls, with support from their families.

After the referral to Farleigh, they spoke to Amy, an Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist. James said, “I used to work in medical sales and visited many hospices, but I still had the wrong perception that Farleigh was just about end of life. Amy was brilliant: she explained her job and asked how we were, immediately putting us both at ease.”

Becky was relieved. “Amy has the time to answer my questions and make things easy to understand. When we wanted a second opinion, she liaised with Broomfield to get my notes. As my lungs were very bad, I couldn’t walk far, so she helped us apply for a disabled parking badge. We had no idea that Farleigh did so much.”

Becky responded well to the chemotherapy and, against expectations, her general health improved. Amy applied to the Willow Foundation to support a special four-night break at Centre Parcs in March for the family and Becky’s parents.

Becky said, “Thank you to Farleigh and the Willow Foundation for this chance to make special memories for Emily and Mia. It also gave me and James a break: I rode a bike and we went for the longest walk in months. Amy gave me the confidence to go and the Foundation arranged local support whilst I was there.”

By mid-July, Becky had completed 12 rounds of chemotherapy. Her cancer markers have significantly decreased and her latest scan shows the lung lesions have gone and the liver lesions are reduced. The couple are ‘over the moon’ and are driving to France for a much-needed family holiday. Becky will continue with the chemotherapy when she returns.

She is very grateful to James and their parents for their care and support and also to Farleigh Hospice. She explained, “Farleigh understands our situation and has helped our family in so many ways. By explaining things to us, our nurse, Amy, has taken away our worries, which has kept me feeling positive throughout my treatment. It is reassuring that Farleigh’s other services are available to me if I need them. I really appreciate this fantastic support.”