Abigail’s story

I was 14 when my mum was first diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. At the time all I could think about was how the word cancer was. I never imagined that five years later, at the age of 19, I would lose her. 

It was in my first few weeks of living away at University that I was told she passed. I had no idea she was so ill and was nearing the end of her life, and my life completely turned upside down.

Navigating grief at the age of 19 as a single child who has just lost her best friend was the hardest challenge I've faced. 3 years on, I still find it hard while trying to juggle university and life in general. I really struggle with the idea of her not being here for important events, such as graduating and getting married. 

As I continue into adult life, my days revolve around becoming a woman she would be proud of and making sure her memory lives on through me. Grief is undoubtedly the scariest and most devastating thing I'll ever go through, but every day I'm reminded that it's proof of the love I had for her. Grief is simply love with nowhere to go, and it holds your hand as you go through life without the person you miss.