I have been watching and listening to some stories today, stories that have made me cry, they have made me weep; they have had a powerful and moving effect on me.
When I was a child stories were so important to me, I remember being in my first class at infants school and devouring the stories in the books I was given to read, now fondly remembering the adventures of Janet and John. I couldn’t wait to bring the books home with me and read them, there was no effort just pure joy in the act of reading.
As I got a little older my stories featured Teddy Robinson, Rupert the Bear, Pippy Longstocking and the stories of Enid Blyton, I still have some dog eared copies in my bookcase today. As a child I was always somewhere with my nose in a book and through my teenage years I was hooked on the stories from our ancient past, from Rome, China and Egypt and this led me to a lifelong love of history, a love that was shared by Seth.
Seth entered my story in my early twenties, first as a colleague, then as a friend and eventually as my husband. Seth was part of my story for 27 years and he was my all-consuming story for 16 glourious years, but our delightfully loving and devoted story was cut short after just nine and half years of marriage.
Pancreatic cancer ruined our story, it took away the man who meant everything in the world to me, it devastated all of my tomorrows, it ripped out my heart and left me alone ….bereft. But as much as pancreatic cancer ruined my story it created a new one which through Homeward Bound has become Seth’s legacy.
As part of that legacy in November 2017 I decided to create 30 short films which would present different perspectives of pancreatic cancer. Stories told by patients, survivors, nurses, surgeons, and people whose loved ones had died from the disease. The stories were emotive, thought provoking, powerful and very personal.
These are the stories I was watching today stories that despite their familiarity and having watched them so many times before….they still made me weep.
All the stories are now together on the Purple Rainbow Website please harness the power of these stories by using them to raise awareness and to educate both the public and healthcare professionals.
On 1st March our 30 Purple Rainbow Pancreatic Cancer stories will be judged in the Patient Experience Network National Awards where they have been shortlisted in the access to information and Insight – outstanding contribution awards.
In memory of Seth Goodburn and all those lost to pancreatic cancer especially Johnathon Barlow, Mary Williams, Thomasina, Evelyn Lydon, Carl Jennings, Kevin Watts, Tony Parsons, Lynne Ball, Carole Waring, Gemma Harrison, Graham Swerling and Jim Harding whose stories were so generously shared.
