'Doctors told me it was my last Christmas - here's what made it special'
Falling to the hospital floor, Sharon-Ann couldn’t believe what she was hearing as the words “You only have six months to live” echoed around in her head. As her legs gave way in shock everything else was a blur but she remembers a kind Macmillan nurse, catching her and scooping her up onto the bed.
“I’m so sorry but this will be your last Christmas,” she heard the doctor say as she watched her life flash before her eyes. “There’s nothing we can do and we can only give you six months to live.” The words went round and round in her head but didn’t properly sink in or begin to make any sense. It was almost like this wasn’t even happening to her.
Sharon-Ann Phillips was told she only had six months to live
It was December 2015 and Sharon-Ann Phillips, now 60, had received the devastating news that she had myeloma - a type of blood cancer that was causing her heart to become weaker and weaker. After being fitted with a defibrillator in case her heart suddenly stopped she was allowed home from the hospital to spend her last Christmas with her family in Sidcup, Kent.
Fortunately, Sharon-Ann’s story has a happy ending and she’s still here to tell the tale - nine years later!
"When you’re told you only have so long to live, your life does flash before your eyes - I remember thinking so many different things,” Sharon said. "I was devastated but praying that it wasn’t going to happen, I guess I didn’t properly accept it. My three grown-up children - who are now 26, 27 and 32 - were at university at the time and although I told my husband and sister I decided not to tell them as I didn't want to ruin their Christmas.”
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Sharon didn't tell her children who were at university the news straight awayBut how do you spend Christmas when you think it’s going to be your last? Do you throw a big party, spend every last penny or take stock and enjoy the simple things in life? All Sharon-Ann wanted to do was spend as much time as possible with her loved ones as she could. And having her sister step in and cook Christmas dinner and buy all the children’s Christmas presents was a godsend.
"We all got together at my sister’s house and I didn’t have to cook or do anything,” Sharon says. "I remember spending so much time together and just huddling on the sofa. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary but it was really special."
At the start of that year, Sharon-Ann had been fit and healthy, going to the gym three times a week and enjoying playing tennis and squash. But it wasn’t long before she started feeling so breathless that walking and talking at the same time was difficult. Initially, she went to her local hospital and was advised that she was suffering from stress and anxiety but was finally told she had the big C after seeking a second opinion.
"My life has changed immensely - I can't do any sport any more, I can't dance,” Sharon-Ann says. "It's been a difficult few years. " In December 2020, The mum was dealt a second blow when she was given more devastating news. “It was Christmas 2020 and five years almost to the day of learning I had Myeloma when I found out I had breast cancer and was given a lumpectomy," she adds.
"It wasn’t even related to my first diagnosis. Thank God they found it when they did as it had already spread to two of my lymph nodes - I then had chemotherapy again and radiotherapy.” Despite her struggles, Sharon-Ann remains positive and says a cancer diagnosis does change your outlook on life.
“I lost my job but I’ve now started to do a lot of voluntary work and raise awareness and money for MacMillan which makes me feel like I’m giving something back - doing something worthwhile,” she explains. “I’m also making the most of life - I turned 60 in September and I'm going on a cruise soon to visit different Caribbean islands.
"I’ve even written a book called ‘Why Me - My Fight For Life From Heartbreak To Hope’ as a way to bring hope to other people who have been diagnosed with cancer. I still see Jo - the Macmillan nurse who picked me up off the floor. We laugh now because I’m still here nine years later but I don’t know what I would have done without Macmillan - they’ve helped me through some of the hardest times in my life. I can't thank them enough."
If you or a family member or friend has received the news they have cancer please get in touch with Macmillan by calling 0808 808 00 00 (8am to 8pm, seven days a week) or you can visit www.macmillan.org.uk for online help.
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