'I'll be forever grateful to them' - Banbury mother raises over £1,000 for cancer centre following treatment

Kelly Hewitt's diagnosis of breast cancer in May last year came as a shock to her, as she had thought of herself as a fit and healthy mother of three young children.

Following her successful mastectomy, the 38-year-old was then told she had to undertake eight chemotherapy sessions, which she considered doing at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford after good experiences there.

However, after some deliberation and taking logistics into mind, Kelly decided to undertake the rest of her treatment at the Brodey Cancer Centre, located inside Banbury’s Horton General Hospital.

Kelly said: “I was so glad I chose the Brodey Centre. Some of the treatment sessions are five hours long, and the staff make things so much easier by joking and having a laugh with the patients.

"Even times when they were very busy, you could see them working hard so that patients wouldn’t have to wait any longer than necessary, giving them cups of tea or food, and just generally trying to make the patients comfortable.

“Even though they were sometimes shortstaffed, you would never think it because you still received a high level of care. The care I received there from start to finish has made my journey so much easier than it could have been, and I will be forever grateful to them for that.”

After being given the all-clear from the Brodey Centre, Kelly wanted to give something back to the nurses, staff, and fellow patients who had helped her through the tough time.

She said: “I fundraise for a number of charities, and we normally do a sponsored run or walk, but as that was not possible because of my health, my friend Louise organised an afternoon tea event that raised £1,000 pounds.

"Half of that amount went to the Breast Cancer Now charity, and the rest went to the Brodey Centre. We also raised another £500 for the centre by selling football scratch cards with a prize of £50.

“My children also did their bit, with my sons raising a further £100 from selling some of their toys and my daughter made 80 sponsored origami hearts to give to the patients at he centre.

As another way of thanking the centre, during the Christmas period, Kelly and her family presented gifts and cards to the staff and patients at the centre.

Kelly says she will continue to support the charity annually over the festive period, as she knows how hard it is for staff and patients to be away from their loved ones and going through such a tough time.

She also wants to raise awareness about cancer and advises people to check for lumps, pains, swelling, or any changes to their breasts so that they can seek treatment as early as possible.

Kelly said: “I don’t want to normalise it, but one in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, so checking yourself early and early detection is key.

For more information about the Brodey Centre, visit the website at https://www.hospitalcharity.co.uk/brodeycentre