Cancer sufferers to go pink in fundraising bid for 4Cs

Anne Attwood, who started Cookstown Community Cancer Charity [4Cs], and Sadie Wogan both use its facilities.

Both women are currently undergoing treatment for cancers they say can never be cured - just managed.

While 72-year-old Sadie is dealing with pancreatic cancer which has already claimed some of her organs, Anne, 68, is battling breast cancer which has spread to nodules in her lungs.

But neither has given up on their fight for life.

Sadie’s daughter Linda, who travels from Bedfordshire to Moneymore to spend time with her mum every six weeks said the facilities at 4Cs have really helped them both get through the hard times.

“About three years ago my mum got pancreatic cancer, she had been a carer for my step-dad, and when he died three or four months later she got this cancer and she nearly died,” she explained.

“They took her in for the operation and they took out her pancreas, her bladder and part of her stomach.

“But with pancreatic cancer it’s likely to come back, so she had a year free and then it came back,” she said.

“Last November she was diagnosed with lung cancer and pancreatic cancer and she raised about £1,400 for Charis.”

After using Charis’ services, which Linda said were fantastic, she said her mum then found 4Cs and has been doing yoga classes with them in Cookstown since.

“In the last six or seven months we found the 4Cs charity and a lot of people don’t realise it’s there,” she added, “so lot of people are missing out on really good support, which is a shame because you have two fantastic cancer centres in Cookstown.”

With this in mind, Linda said both her mum and Anne Attwood have decided to dye their hair pink in November in an effort to raise funds so they can continue to provide free treatments and classes for those facing the same fight as them, as well as awareness of 4Cs and what they do.

Anne Attwood, who started the 4Cs, added: “Myself and Linda’s mum are two cancer patients.”

As for all the money they raise, she added: “It’s for paying for treatment from reflexologist, also very much so for keeping the roof over our head, our rent, electric, our telephone.

“We do not get anything other than our rates, but we are busy and we are trying to help the cancer patients in the town here.

“It’s comes perfect with Sadie and I both being two cancer patients.

“I am going through it for the second time,” she went on. “At the minute I have breast cancer and now I’ve got nodules on my lung and it’s not operable, just treatable.”