‘I’m so proud of her’ - Daughter tells of Horsham mum’s cancer ordeal

A daughter has spoken of her pride in her mum who was diagnosed with terminal cancer - but is now tumour-free.
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Jodie Fry said of her mum Lisa: “Mum was facing the end of her life but now she’s come out the other side.”

During her treatment Lisa has been under the care of St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley and Jodie was determined to say a special thank-you to the team there.

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She and best friend Becky Young did so by staging a 50-mile static cycle ride at Horsham’s Hornbrook Inn on Sunday - and raised more than £1,400 for the hospice.

Jodie Fry, right, with mum Lisa, centre, and friend BeckyJodie Fry, right, with mum Lisa, centre, and friend Becky
Jodie Fry, right, with mum Lisa, centre, and friend Becky

And mum Lisa was there to cheer her on, along with other family and friends.

Jodie said: “In 2019, mum’s smear test came back all clear. When she began feeling unwell earlier this year, she was originally diagnosed with kidney stones. “When we found out she had cervical cancer it was a big shock for us all. We’ve never had cancer in our family so it just goes to show it can happen to anyone. “At first, mum was told her cancer was stage one but within weeks we discovered her cancer was aggressively growing and spreading, decreasing her chance of survival.

“It was so quick and unexpected as mum has always been the fittest, healthiest person I know.

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“Mum’s cancer has been a lot for her to process. She’s had to deal with emotional and physical pain and face her inner demons.

“Throughout everything, St Catherine’s have supported her and their nurses helped sort out her medication.

“She’s been so strong throughout her illness. Mum was never the type of person to sit in bed feeling sorry for herself. She was always up and about and going to the gym, so to then sit in hospital for two months was a very different change for her.

“I’m so proud of her. Mum had six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in lockdown, and amazingly her latest test results showed there’s no tumour anymore. “Mum was facing the end of her life but now she’s come out the other side.

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“She’s starting to get her independence back and can walk and drive again.

“Seeing mum go through her treatment and knowing we couldn’t physically help her was hard.

“To show our support, my best friend Becky and I decided to cycle 50 miles on static bikes to raise money for St Catherine’s. Mum has always told us how helpful and responsive the hospice has been, and we want others to have their help in the future.

“It was so special to have mum at the pub watching us cycling.

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“It’s been an honour to take on this bike ride for her – she’s the strongest, bravest woman we know.”

St Catherine’s fundraiser Arron Trott said: “We’re so grateful to Jodie and Becky for doing this for Lisa but also for other people who need the help of our hospice.

“As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re still not able to run our usual fundraising events, and we’ve had a drop of around £1.5 million in income.

“The fundraising efforts of people like Jodie and Becky will make sure we can be here for other families in years to come.

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“Their challenge is inspiring, and on behalf of everyone at St Catherine’s, I’d like to thank Jodie and Becky for their wonderful support.”

To support Jodie and Becky and help them to raise even more money for their local hospice please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jodie-fry To discover different ways you can support St Catherine’s visit: www.stch.org.uk/diy or to make a donation visit: www.stch.org.uk/donate or call 01293 447361.

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