Home | Blog | Stories Of Cancer And Hope

Stories Of Cancer And Hope

At MOVE Against Cancer we are delighted to support Kevin Donaghy’s book Stories Of Cancer And Hope.

A collection of stories from people affected by cancer, the book was collated by Kevin who has stage 4 cancer himself. He wanted to share people’s real life stories and demonstrate that there IS hope around a cancer diagnosis.

“Hope for me came in many forms”, says Kevin. “A conversation with a customer who told me his brother ran a company in Australia testing the kind of drug I was about to receive and he would put me in touch with him. Finding other people affected by Melanoma over Zoom during Covid, who became my tribe and they just understood. Connecting with people who were already sharing their cancer stories on social media to help others and the 67 people who gave life to our book, Stories of Cancer and Hope, through sharing their stories, editing and proof reading, illustrating the cover … and the image of Anna, setting and printing the book and sponsoring the gift of 11,000 copies to over 100 cancer charities and treatment centres, whilst asking for nothing in return. All of these engagements started with a conversation where I shared my story, looking for Hope which I found in abundance”.

We are grateful to Deborah and Tony, both contributors to the book, for agreeing to share their stories with us.

**********************

When she was diagnosed with stage II aggressive breast cancer Deborah found that despite being a very positive person, there were times where she felt she had no control over the future: 

“No one prepares you for the impact a diagnosis has on you. However, being told I had an excellent chance of survival gave me the hope and determination to get through all of my treatment; I just wanted to survive and knew that when this was all over I would live my life to the fullest. That is exactly what I have done”.

After his diagnosis of advanced stage prostate cancer, Tony wondered if he’d ever get to see his three-year-old grandson become a teenager or walk his daughter down the aisle. Years later he’s still here:

“I may get to see my grandson become a teenager. I’ve had two more grandchildren as well! I’ve walked my daughter down the aisle and, yes, I’m still running. I dared  to hope that I might get to do those things and a lot of my hopes have been fulfilled. I’m a lucky man, I know, but I’m making sure I use that luck to lead the best life. The longer I’m stable, the better my chances, and I’m firmly of the belief that without hope we are hopeless”.

https://www.storiesofcancerandhope.co.uk/

All royalties from book sales are donated to Maggies.