Margo was diagnosed with stage 4 primary peritoneal cancer in September 2019. Like most people who receive the diagnosis, we’d never heard of it and had no idea what we were dealing with. But we sought the best advice and explored every treatment option. Margo committed to fight it with every ounce of her being. And she did. And we promised to be there with her every step of the way. And, thanks to the care and support of a number of organisations, we were - now we'd like to give back to them. 

Thanks to Florence Nightingale’s hospice at home service, we were able to have Margo, our gorgeous mum, comfortable in her own home for her last couple of weeks of life. They set us up with the facilities and the first class medical care that allowed us to spend every day with our mum, making her laugh, sharing stories, keeping her company and reassuring her that she, and we, would be okay. 

Without this in-home service, and because of COVID 19 restrictions, our mum would have been in hospital alone. We will be forever grateful to Florence Nightingale Hospice for giving us this precious time with our mum, and we want as many other families as possible to have access to this wonderful service.

Primary peritoneal cancer is typically late in its diagnosis. The symptoms are subtle and it’s not until the cancer has taken hold that people start to notice things going wrong. The treatment is similar to that of ovarian cancer, and the two cancers are often associated with each other. 

Due to the nature of mum’s cancer, we have also chosen to support an organisation that does vital and much needed research into gynaecological cancers. Like most mums, Margo always put her family first. There is no way of knowing if she’d questioned something earlier, or if we’d been more insistent about her getting medical advice, whether the outcome would have been different. But too often we put health concerns to the back of our minds in favour of getting on with the day-to-day. The funds we raise will also go to organisations that increase awareness of the importance of knowing your body, understanding how it works and where to get help and expert advice when you need it, in the hope that other mums, sisters, aunties and friends get the treatment they need to live long and happy lives. 

Margo will be with us always. Her fun loving spirit, wicked sense of humour and love of a plan. She has left people with an overwhelming sense of being happy and proud to have known her. And she lives on in each one of us as we promise to live our lives to the full.