Chelsea’s story

Hey, my name is Chelsea, this is my story!

I was adopted at the age of 3 and I was sent to live with the most loving family. Every day was fun, every day felt like love. When I was 10, we moved across the country. Oooo an adventure.

A few months after I turned 23, my mum had a hysterectomy as her endometriosis had come back. She was fine, she got through the operation like we knew she would! She was back home. Then we got the call we all DREAD. To me, before I had known others who'd died of cancer, but it had never hit me until that day. My beautiful mum had been given the news that they had found something 'abnormal' which had been tested and we were given the heartbreaking news that it was cancer. It had spread already, so the doctors called it 'Cancer of unknown primary'. This was on Friday, March 13th, 2018. We went home, shocked by the news, but mum being who she was, pushed along.

Then began the tough parts, mum had begun to not eat. She was having injections in her tummy each evening by me. We had to call an ambulance for her one evening as she was in so much pain. She finished her stay and that was that, she came home again. She couldn't sleep in bed anymore, so she slept in her chair. I had become mum to my brother and dad.

Then, she went to the doctors for a check up and she was told to get to the hospital today. She was taken in, and this was the beginning of the end. She started off in her own little room, and managed to watch the royal wedding! She then began to go downhill. Before she could have any kind of chemotherapy, she was found to have some kind of infection in her kidneys. We were devastated as this was preventing her from getting the help she needed to fight the cancer! She went from months, to weeks to days.

I went to church on the Sunday 3rd and we had been chatting praying for mum, as we'd been told that we'd have her until Christmas (this was June 3rd 2018). It was hard, but at least we had time to prepare! Come Monday morning at 7am, I had a heartbreaking phone call to tell me to get straight to the hospital as mum had deteriorated overnight and they were worried that she'd go soon. They were right, at 7am on Wednesday the 6th of June, my mum took her last breath with me and my auntie at her side. Holding her hand for long enough to feel her go cold. I'd never wish it on anyone. I'd lost my best friend and mother who gave me a second chance at a happy life. She had less than a 3 month battle with cancer and she'd gone.

Things began to change as I had to grow up quickly. Soon after my mum died, my dad was diagnosed with dementia and he was getting very confused when I'd tell him that mum had died. He believed it was his mum so he'd go through the trauma, and then realise, no, it was his wife, so he went through it again. He battled it for 4 years, 4 tough years full of anger and sadness. Seeing someone fight dementia is heartbreaking. It is honestly like having to loose them twice. I take peace thinking that they are both together again and happy. I lost mum when I was 23 and my dad when I was 27. Both in the same month 4 years apart. My mum 6th June 2018 and my dad 29th of June 2022.

My heart breaks knowing that they won't be there for their first grandchildren, or my wedding, or any other milestones. I truly hope that, even though I only got 20 and 24 years with them. They know how much I loved them and wish they were here with me. I struggled a lot with mental health issues after they both died. I felt so alone. I am fighting hard to keep going and keep believing that they are looking down on me!

Uploaded a pic with mum as dad hated being in pics so never got one of him thanks for sticking with me!