夜色直播

Ruth

Recovery from surgery and coping afterwards

Towards the end of 2025, I was diagnosed with lung cancer in my right lung. Fortunately, it was caught early, so I didn鈥檛 need extensive treatment 鈥� just surgery.

However, I did undergo a seven-hour operation and spent three days in hospital before being discharged.

At first, my recovery went well and everything seemed to be progressing positively, and I was told that no further treatment was needed.

But a few months later, I experienced an unexpected emotional breakdown. I found myself bursting into tears, and whenever anyone asked how I was doing, I became overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn鈥檛 understand why this was happening.

Finding 夜色直播 and myself again

Throughout my life, I鈥檝e always been active and independent. I鈥檓 a busy mum of two, have run my own fashion business and shop for many years, teach salsa dancing, and recently completed my Day Skipper qualification.

Originally, I鈥檓 from Martinique, a French Caribbean island. I grew up in a culture where being strong and self-reliant is the norm, so experiencing these feelings and asking for help was alien to me.

A nurse at Addenbrooke鈥檚 Hospital asked if I鈥檇 heard of Maggie鈥檚 and spoke so warmly about the support available there. That conversation led me to Maggie鈥檚, and from that moment, everything began to change.

I was very nervous on my first visit. Then I met Graham, one of the cancer support specialists, who immediately put me at ease. For the first time, I felt comfortable talking about the things I didn鈥檛 understand, and I began to feel a sense of relief.

I continued to have one-to-one support sessions with Graham. He was easy to talk to and always made me feel comfortable and relaxed.

During one session, I remember saying, 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 cheating.鈥� I had been through cancer, been told that it had all been successfully removed, and I didn鈥檛 need any further treatment. I just couldn鈥檛 understand why I was struggling when I considered myself one of the lucky ones.

Talking with Graham helped me realise that what I was experiencing was completely normal and a common after-effect of cancer. I鈥檇 pushed aside my feelings because I believed I was lucky, but eventually they caught up with me.

At the end of the day, I鈥檓 no different from anyone else. Once I accepted that, things began to make sense, and I was finally able to start processing everything I had been through.

Holistic support

Addenbrooke鈥檚 Hospital is amazing and the care I received was genuinely outstanding. I鈥檓 incredibly grateful for the dedication and compassion of the staff. However, once you return home, it can sometimes feel as though you鈥檙e left to cope on your own.

My family have been very supportive, but there were times when I couldn鈥檛 share how I really felt or ask how they were managing. I didn鈥檛 have the energy to process their feelings alongside my own, and I didn鈥檛 want to burden them further.

Maggie鈥檚 is what we all needed. My husband would sometimes come with me, which I found incredibly helpful. It helped me realise that cancer affects the whole family, not just the person diagnosed.

Knowing that support was available for both of us brought a great sense of comfort and reassurance during a very difficult time. It helped us talk more openly as a family through such a difficult time.

Georgia

Coming to terms with Mum鈥檚 diagnosis

Mum鈥檚 diagnosis hit me hard. Even with a long family history of cancer and the BRCA gene on my dad鈥檚 side, it still caught me off guard. 

I couldn鈥檛 be there for her early consultations because I live and work in London, and my parents held back telling me until they knew it was serious, so I only heard the news once her operation was already scheduled. But I knew something wasn鈥檛 quite right.

Everything moved so quickly that it was impossible for me to attend mum鈥檚 initial appointment with the surgeon, along with my stepdad. After mum鈥檚 surgery, I raced from London to make visiting hours and a kind nurse would let me stay late, which meant the world to me.

We鈥檙e a family that 鈥渃racks on.鈥� My dad had prostate cancer, and being my mother鈥檚 daughter, I鈥檇 developed a mindset of needing to 鈥減ower through鈥� and stay strong.

My mum has never been someone who shows vulnerability, so it was hard to open-up about how I was feeling. I wanted to stay strong for her, and she wanted to be strong for us too. Even though I was overwhelmed by emotions, seeing her cope so well on the surface made me feel I didn鈥檛 need support myself.

But after a while, I realised I didn鈥檛 really know how to help her emotionally. My mum is such a strong and vivacious woman, and she would often say, 鈥淚鈥檓 fine, everything is fine,鈥� but deep down I knew it wasn鈥檛 that simple. As much as I tried to reassure her that it was okay not to be fine, she wouldn鈥檛 have it.

Eventually, I suggested that she consider speaking to someone about what she was going through. As a family, we could only understand her experience from our own perspective, not from hers.

I felt that having someone who could help her make sense of everything, without having to worry about how we might feel about it, would benefit not just her, but all of us.

Looking back, having someone to talk to in those early weeks would have helped me process my feelings. I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up, with no clear answers. There was a lot of fear and guilt, especially for not being there as much as I鈥檇 liked.

Support for all the family

I鈥檓 really pleased mum found Maggie鈥檚. Not only do they support people living with cancer, but they also offer support to the whole family. Having a space to talk openly about those feelings has made a massive difference.

I鈥檇 encourage anyone who鈥檚 unsure, or who thinks Maggie鈥檚 might not be for them, to go in and speak to the team.

I remember when I first spoke to my mum about talking to someone or trying therapy, she was adamant that it wasn鈥檛 for her. After one of her sessions with Graham, I asked her how it went, she said 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 therapy at all. It was just a conversation over a cup of tea, and I walked away feeling lighter after.鈥�

It鈥檚 easy to overthink it, assume it鈥檚 not for you, or feel that because you鈥檙e not the person going through cancer, your feelings somehow don鈥檛 count. But it鈥檚 so important that everyone involved has someone to talk to and a sense of community around them.

Because of Maggie鈥檚, I鈥檝e been able to hear my mum talk openly about what she went through and how she really feels, and we鈥檝e been able to process everything more honestly as a family.

So, in my opinion, it鈥檚 absolutely worth going to Maggie鈥檚.

Ruth

Finding my community

While waiting to see Graham, I noticed a family whose mum was having treatment at Addenbrooke鈥檚. They took turns visiting her, returning to Maggie鈥檚 in between. Maggie鈥檚 was there for all of them, making it easy for them as a family to sit together, take a breath and support each other while their mum was having treatment.

I see Maggie鈥檚 as comfort and support. When you go through a break-up or something similar, you have your family and friends who understand you. There鈥檚 a shared experience, but cancer often lacks that shared experience. That鈥檚 why finding your community is so important.

Maggie鈥檚 has become mine. It gave me space to speak openly with people who get it. Family and friends are amazing, but having a supportive community with lived experience is invaluable.

Maggie鈥檚: friendly, helpful, comforting

Having a brand-new purpose-built Maggie鈥檚 centre at Addenbrooke鈥檚 is going to make a huge difference. The hospital already provides outstanding care, and we will always be grateful for the care shown by the staff. 

Cancer affects so much more than your physical health. It impacts your emotions, your confidence, your relationships and the people around you. Having somewhere like Maggie鈥檚 that supports not only patients but also their families can make a real difference during some of the most difficult moments of your life.

We鈥檙e here with you

Our cancer support specialists, psychologists and benefits advisors are here for everyone with cancer, and all the people who love them. 

• Come and see us at your nearest Maggie鈥檚
• Call us on 0300 123 180 or arrange a callback
• Email us at [email protected]