The first time I remember hearing about cancer, one of my young school friends had been diagnosed with it. Growing up with severe asthma, I spent a lot of time in the hospital and made fast friends with some of the other ‘regulars’ including some who had cancer. Some I saw a lot over the course of my childhood, others I only saw a few times (in my mind because they got better but that may be overly optimistic). Then, when I was 6, my great grandmother, who I was extremely close to, was diagnosed with leukaemia. Little did I know then that she would be the first family member but definitely not the last to do battle with cancer. Cancer has been a thread woven into the tapestry of my family – on both sides.
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