A Summer of Love, Wedding Bells and Hope

The original diagnosis of Jason’s cancer was devastating enough for him and partner Annie, but as sole carers of Annie’s two-year-old granddaughter, it was doubly frightening. How would they manage to combine a gruelling treatment regime and visits to the hospital, and provide Lily with the love and care an active toddler needs.

Chemo and radiotherapy can have very debilitating effects on the human body, even whilst attempting to fight the relentless progression of the disease. For Annie and Jason it was a time of courage and stretched resources, as well as a time of reflection, concern about the future, and love.

Lily is now 8, and amidst seeking a school that could provide for her special needs, Jason learned that the cancer had returned to other areas in his body. The oncologists’ prognosis was not good, and the only further treatment they could recommend for him was still fairly new and without any assurances.

That is when Matt’s Canaan Trust was introduced to the family.

Whilst talking to Annie and Jason, it was apparent that they would love to go away as a family, to rest and spend precious time together between the first and second course of Jason’s new treatment. After some Internet research, a perfect location was found in St Just, Cornwall: a picturesque ‘Captain’s Cottage’, one of Hoseason's holidays.

Bookings were made and everything seemed to be in place for the first week of June. But a couple of weeks beforehand, a very sick Jason was admitted to hospital. His blood quality was poor and it was unsure whether he would be well enough to go home, let alone go on holiday to Cornwall from Chichester, where they live.

However, after much prayer, Jason, Annie, Lilly and Bramble the spaniel, left for a desperately needed break, where it was hoped Jason would be able to prepare himself emotionally and mentally for further treatment, and Lilly could enjoy some time on the beach before starting at a special needs school.

Annie writes:  ‘The cottage was delightful, beautifully equipped and very comfortable. The weather was, for the most part, very kind to us and we visited most of the local beauty spots, including St Ives, Land’s End, The Lizard, Cape Cornwall, Pendeen Watch and the Geevor Tin Mine, as well as a wonderful picnic day at Senner Beach. My family cannot thank you enough for the respite this break has given us and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Jason even proposed to me on the Sunday morning, and presented me with a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring.’

Jason and Annie are getting married on 14^th August, in the church at the end of their road. All has not been plain sailing since their return, Jason was re-admitted to hospital suffering from de-hydration and several infections. In his own words: ‘last week I was at death’s door, this week, I’m feeling good, continuing with wedding plans and just pottering in the garden.’

Whatever the rest of the summer holds for this special family, we hope they will always remember the precious time they had together, and those memories of love will carry them through to the day of the wedding and beyond …

When Chris Rayner was 13, he complained of excruciating ear pains, yet despite copious visits to the doctors, he was not diagnosed with a Grade IV medulloblastoma immediately. For the next two years, Chris bravely underwent surgery and exhausting chemo and radiotherapy treatment.  He and his single mum, Cherie spent his 14^th and 15^th birthdays in hospital with tubes attached to his arm, feeding toxic chemicals into his body, in the hope that, like some trained marksman, they would find and destroy their target.

Before life-threatening illness struck him down, Chris’ passion was Motocross. Accompanied by his granddad, Chris would attend weekend meetings and compete under his personal number 41. The brain tumour and havoc it wreaked in his life has meant that his hobby had to be shelved, and when Chris’ granddad suffered a major stroke, it left him with little hope of ever being able to attend events in the near future.

When Matt’s Canaan Trust were referred to Chris and his mum they were able to arrange for some much needed home decorating, as well as presenting Chris with a special supportive neck brace, in anticipation of him returning to the track. A short break in New York was booked to coincide with Chris’ 16^th birthday, but devastating news following a routine scan revealed another tumour in his brain. Urgent surgery rendered Chris unable to go on his dream trip. Fortunately, we were able to get refunds for the flights and accommodation and the trip has been postponed temporarily. But Chris is determined he wants to fly across the pond as soon as he is declared fit.

Whilst waiting for results from the latest post-op scans, Chris is keeping busy planning a special event at a big track in East Anglia.  He aims to complete 41 laps on his motocross bike, decorated in graphics advertising Matt’s Canaan Trust, to raise money to enable us to help other families facing life-threatening illnesses, such as his.

He wants to share his experiences to tell others that they are not alone when facing serious illness. He wants family members and friends of sufferers to be made aware of an adolescent’s feelings and fears when diagnosed with cancer and how best to help them get through the tunnel of adversity and emerge, full of hope, at the other end.

Go Chris - 41 times to be precise! It’s an honour to know you.