Illustration of a pear on top of a pile of books

Home Class activities Facts about cancer Real life experiences Support Getting involved
HOME > Real life experiences > I have cancer (adult)	Search

I have cancer (adult)

	Tracey has had cancer for three years and is still dealing with the effects the diagnosis has had on her life.

The discovery that I had cancer was more a slow realisation than diagnosis. It had been suggested that the mass in my abdomen may be malignant but my age made it unlikely. The confirmation came a week after an emergency operation that removed the right side of my colon.

This was followed by six cycles of chemotherapy. The treatment went by surprisingly quickly and, with some adjustments to the drugs, the side effects were manageable.

The last three years have had their ups and downs, but facing your own mortality inevitably changes your life. My priorities changed and there was suddenly an urgency to do the things that we'd always said we would. I now swim regularly and am generally more aware of my health – I feel I'm doing what I can in a situation that is otherwise out of my control.

I have done fundraising for various cancer charities and during Cancertalk week I took an assembly at my children's school, explaining about cancer and the work that Macmillan do.


	I have discovered how heart-warming it is to realise how compassionate people can be – it makes a huge difference knowing that you're being thought of.

When you have cancer, it's a difficult time for all involved. A couple of my friends were very matter of fact about the whole thing, in front of me anyway, and I really appreciated their strength. They were extremely supportive emotionally and practically, not only to me but also my husband and children, which has also strengthened our friendship. I was lucky enough to have a Macmillan nurse, Lilian, who I was able to talk everything through with. Initially, I was against telling our children that I had cancer – I wanted to protect them from it, they were only four and eight. But Lilian made me realise that I had to tell them and she was right, they now talk openly about cancer.

Sadly, cancer is a fact of life and children need to know the facts in order to dispel the myths and fear. Children accept difficult situations better than we expect them to and provided they are told the truth they will grow up with a more open minded view of cancer than most of us do now.