When Mel Griffiths was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last year, she anticipated having to undergo surgery. But this was followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Life was tough – her husband, Gavin Griffiths, had only recently recovered from cancer himself.
A friend suggested that she called in at Maggie’s Centre, a cancer support service based at the City Hospital in Nottingham. She gave it a go and found the service “just amazing”. Now, the 59 year old woman is undertaking a charity abseil later this month to give back to the charity that has supported her so well.
“Somebody said to me ‘have you been to Maggie’s?’ And I said ‘No, I don’t know what Maggie’s is’”, she said. “I just happened to be at City Hospital one day with a friend and I said ‘Oh, can you just show me where Maggie’s is?’
“She took me there and I walked in. And, honestly, they were just amazing. You walk into Maggie’s and somebody, whoever you are, will greet you and make you a drink and find you someone to talk to. Particularly on your first visit they will find you a cancer support specialist to talk to. I just felt like I had arrived somewhere where they would look after me.”
Mel Griffiths explained that Maggie’s doesn’t advise you on your medical condition or treatment, “but they can just talk to you and be there for you and you can talk about things that you can’t necessarily talk about to your friends and family who are too emotionally involved.”
Things took a turn for the worse when husband Gavin’s cancer returned. “We were quite devastated by it when we got the news and we didn’t know what to do”, she said.
“You couldn’t make it up. It was unbelievably hard. I finished my radiotherapy in November. We got over Christmas and New Year and we thought right, that’s it, New Year, new start and then in January Gavin had his diagnosis. It all just hit us in the face.”
Now Gavin Griffiths is getting support from the centre, too. “I was going to Maggie’s because I went on a course and I said to him ‘look, just come to Maggie’s. I don’t know what you’ll think of it. You may never want to go back there again, but just come with me to Maggie’s.’
“And of course they treated him the same way as they treated me. They looked after him. They’ve talked to him and me separately and together. And we just know that they will be there.”
Mel Griffiths is certain that she is coping only thanks to the support from Maggie’s. “When it gets too bad, I go to Maggie’s and I find someone to talk to. I rage against the unfairness of it all and they support me.”
Mel’s treatment is complete and the couple hope that’s the end of the cancer. Gavin is undergoing chemotherapy at the moment and the couple are praying it is successful.
Maggie’s Centres is a national charity that began in Scotland. It has branches across the country but only one serving the East Midlands. Maggie’s at the City Hospital serves people from across Nottinghamshire and also Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and even as far away as Birmingham and the West Midlands.
One in two people will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime and, Maggie’s in Nottingham helps around 22,000 people every year: not just patients, but their family, friends and even colleagues.
The work of Maggie’s is entirely self-funded. They receive no government or NHS funds and so relies on fundraising events to provide their much-needed service.
Mel is determined to give back to Maggie’s and is one of 30 people taking part in a sponsored abseil from the 80 ft high Millersdale Viaduct near Buxton in the Peak District on 23 June.
The sponsored abseil is one of many fund-raising events planned by Maggie’s in Nottingham. They had hoped to raise a total of £10,000 from 60 abseilers. And they look set to reach that target thanks to Mel Griffiths’ amazing fundraising activities. Maggie’s set their abseilers a sponsorship target of £120 each. Mel set her own target of £1,000. She reached her target in just 48 hours, so doubled it to £2,000. Now, she has reached £2,450 on her Just Giving page from 107 supporters. Reclaimed Gift Aid will add another £467.00 to her total.
For Mel Griffiths, the challenge is even more inspiring as she is totally blind. “I actually like heights, I like that feeling of space around me”, she said. “That sounds a bit weird doesn’t it? But I like it.”
This is the second abseil that Mel has undertaken, having abseiled down Nottingham Council House for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity previously. “I wasn’t particularly good at it”, she said. “but I love the feeling, as a blind person, of going over the edge on that rope, knowing that nobody else is there. Nobody can grab you or tell you you’re doing it wrong. It’s all down to you and that feeling of freedom . . . That’s the sort of adrenaline rush I go for every now and again, something where nobody else can help me, It’s all down to me and it’s in space!”
You can sponsor Mel Griffiths through her Just Giving page. If you’d like to take part in the abseil, you can find details on the dedicated Maggie’s Nottingham fundraising webpage.
- If you need support, you can find Maggie’s inside Gate 3 at the City Hospital Campus on Hucknall Road in Nottingham. You can also call them on 0115 924 6210 or email . They are open Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm and you can just turn up without an appointment.
