Northampton mum to host charity ball for Macmillan to celebrate one year cancer anniversary

A Northampton mum is set to host a fundraising ball to celebrate her one-year cancer diagnosis anniversary after receiving the all clear.

Sophie Palmer was diagnosed with cervical cancer last February when her youngest daughter was just one. She had a radical hysterectomy, which removed her cervix, womb and ovaries, sadly ending her dream of having a third child.

After the surgery Sophie struggled emotionally as she juggled her recovery with family life and when she found herself going through early menopause as a result of the treatment, she turned to Macmillan for support.

The 34-year-old said: “I was emotionally damaged. When I think about what could have happened.

"The thought of not being there for my son’s first day at school, or not seeing my daughter get married, it almost broke me. I was in pieces.

"When I got diagnosed my youngest was just one, so she still needed cuddles and I couldn’t even pick her up.”

Sophie signed up to do the HOPE course, which is run through the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre at Northampton General Hospital. The course provides practical and emotional support to help people rebuild their lives after cancer.

Sophie added: “The HOPE course was absolutely brilliant. None of my friends of family have been through cancer, so I felt very alone.

"It was nice to be in a room with people who all knew how you felt and how scared you are feeling. If we wanted to cry, we could cry, if we wanted to scream and shout we could scream and shout. Anything was OK because we were going through the same emotions.”

Just weeks after getting the all clear, Sophie began planning the Ribbon Ball to raise money for Macmillan, alongside Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, as a way of saying thank you for the support she had received.

She said: “Cancer affects so many people and I want to do everything I can to help raise awareness and encourage everyone to go for their regular screenings.

"When I first went to the GP they thought it was endometritis and sent me home. Luckily I had my routine cervical screening test a few weeks later which immediately showed up some abnormal cells.

"I was lucky because they caught it early. If I hadn’t gone for that screening my story might have been very different.”

Wendy Lilley, Macmillan Information and Support Lead at Northampton General Hospital, who runs the HOPE course, added: “HOPE enables people to build resilience. People may learn new skills or build on existing ones to enable them to cope with the challenges a cancer diagnosis can bring physically and psychologically. It also enables them to meet people with the shared lived experience and build friendships."

The Ribbon Ball takes place on February 25, 2023 at the Park Inn in Northampton and will raise money for Macmillan and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. Contact [email protected] for tickets.

For more information about the HOPE course in Northamptonshire, contact Wendy at the Macmillan Information and Support Centre at Northampton General Hospital on [email protected]

For information, support or just someone to talk to, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk.