Dying to Live

"The day of the 10k Race came, I didn't feel my best but I was sure going to do my best. I had to give this everything I had so I sprinted the last section; it was so awful. I must have looked like a crazy woman, frothing at the mouth; face like an inflated beetroot, arms and legs almost grasping and flailing to try and gain more momentum... I did it. Arms pumping, long strides, even passing a few women in the last 30 metres; fake smile, worthy of the finale in Chariots of Fire - Vangelis's theme tune playing in my head as I raced for my life. Sadly I didn't win, which had been my goal, and I didn't beat my PB; I did it just short of 48 minutes around position six or seven; winner did it in 44 or something. Monday morning in my consultation I listened to the news that 'the scan results show there is a tumour in your right lung'. 'How annoying,' I said. 'I would have won that frigging race if I hadn't been carrying that extra weight.' My response is actually in my notes. It's true though, I was more perturbed that I had been disabled by a tumour which had affected my pace than I was that I had just been told I had cancer in my right lung!"
Rebekah Simpson was just six weeks pregnant with her third child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Whilst pregnant she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy after the baby was born. Since 2012 she has been having ongoing treatment for secondary cancer in her spine, lung and brain. But her story is not just a moving one, a powerful love letter to her children; it is also full of humour and gives an insight into how to deal with the challenges that life sometimes throws at us.