Written by Poppy’s Mummy, Emma…
My beautiful little girl Poppy decided to have her hair chopped off to donate to the Little Princess Trust, who make wigs for children who have lost their hair through cancer treatment and other illnesses. But not only did she want to donate her hair, she also wanted to raise some pennies for the amazing charity, Willow.
When Poppy was fifteen months old I was diagnosed with a very rare aggressive cervical cancer, it came completely out of the blue with no warning signs or symptoms (thank goodness for smear tests). The diagnosis was quickly followed by major surgery, and aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. My wonderful Macmillan nurse introduced us to Willow. Fast forward a few weeks and Willow contacted us to say they had organised my Special Day, a family break away.
As a family, we simply cannot put into words what the break meant for us. We had a week free of drugs, sickness and chemotherapy. I remember it like it was yesterday.
It was during month four of chemotherapy and I was exhausted and very sick but five days away from everything meant we could all concentrate on being a normal family. I wasn’t a cancer patient, I was a mummy and a wife and we had the most amazing time. It gave me strength to get through two more cycles of chemo before starting radiotherapy. Absolutely everything was taken care of by Willow and it was undoubtedly better than any medicine. Watching my girls running round happy and giggling and seeing my husband having a break from the relentless role of carer he had taken on (on top of a stressful job) was priceless.
Poppy and her sister, Daisy, still talk about my Special Day – they loved it. The magic that Willow provide cannot be put into words. What you do for young people with life threatening illness and their families is a lifeline.
Poppy has grown up so much since then and has turned into a very kind, thoughtful, Star Wars obsessed four year old! I’m immensely proud of her and she has a heart of gold. This week she tried offering a homeless man her top bunk earlier in the week so he didn’t have to sleep on the pavement. If you’d like to donate, please visit our fundraising page.
Pops says thank you for reading! Emma xx