By supporting Q Radiothon you will be making a real difference to the lives of families affected by cancer and terminal illness across Northern Ireland. When Angela Crawley Smith was diagnosed with a brain tumour, her mum, Wendy explains how the family went from ‘heaven to the depths of hell’.
‘It was 2017 and life was great. We had attended the wedding of my daughter Angela and her lovely partner Tom the year before and she was expecting her first baby. I’ll never forget when we got the devastating news – we had all been in Italy for a family holiday and Angela and Tom flew back before us, that’s when we got the call – Angela had two seizures and was in hospital.
‘After numerous tests, Angela was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour and was told she would have from six months to two years to live. My girl was so brave, we were so proud of her. She chose to have two operations on one day – a caesarean to deliver her 30-week-old baby, followed by major surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. Angela had a beautiful baby girl, Ella, and ten days later, she was well enough to hold her for the first time.
Another devastating blow
‘In May 2018 her symptoms changed – she started to lose her balance and fall. Eventually it was discovered a new tumour had developed in the right side of her brain. We were all completely shocked, another devastating blow. After that, arrangements were put in place and Angela was moved to the Marie Curie hospice in Belfast.
‘We now realised that Angela would not be coming home, but from the point she entered the hospice she was given the tender, loving, expert care she needed. Importantly, Tom was able to stay with her, as was Ella. They could be a family. Her one fear was that she would wake up alone, and thanks to the hospice, that never happened. Marie Curie became our second home.
Our beautiful daughter, who left us too soon
‘On 28th June 2018, ten days after her 39th birthday, our beautiful daughter, left us too soon. This is our heart-breaking story, but we are not the only family who has travelled this road. This is one story, but it highlights the importance of the care provided by Marie Curie.’
By supporting Q Radiothon you’ll be making a real difference to the lives of people, like Angela and Wendy, across Northern Ireland. Q Radiothon is committed to supporting people by raising vital funds to support our fantastic charity partners. If you would like to help us make a difference, you can get involved at www.qradiothon.com/fundraising
