Charity's gift appeal to '˜make memories' for cancer patients

A breast cancer patient from Crawley is raising awareness of a charity which enables people like her to have days out for free in their deepest times of need.
Pauline Box from Maidenbower is raising awareness of the charity Ellie's Friends which helps cancer patients with gifts of days out after being diagnosed with the disease - picture by Lucy Bartholomew, Candyfloss and BowtiesPauline Box from Maidenbower is raising awareness of the charity Ellie's Friends which helps cancer patients with gifts of days out after being diagnosed with the disease - picture by Lucy Bartholomew, Candyfloss and Bowties
Pauline Box from Maidenbower is raising awareness of the charity Ellie's Friends which helps cancer patients with gifts of days out after being diagnosed with the disease - picture by Lucy Bartholomew, Candyfloss and Bowties

Pauline Box, from Maidenbower, has stage four secondary breast cancer and she recently enjoyed a trip to the theatre in London’s West End with her husband thanks to the charity Ellie’s Friends.

Pauline, 54, said: “I have been on treatment for the last three years and it’s something which is terminal; it’s not something they can cure so it’s quality of life and how long you can go on with the treatment.

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“It’s nice to be able to make memories with the family, have something light-hearted and a bit of fun in all the negative.

“It’s huge (what Ellie’s Friends do). Something that I would not necessarily do, we did. We went to see Wicked. It was wonderful - the family being able to get together.”

She has also been to see Jimmy Carr and met the stars of Have I Got News For You with vouchers from the charity.

She said: “Cancer is an expensive business. It costs emotionally and physically, but also financially. I cannot work and treatments causes nausea, vomiting. There are side effects that happen to people - peeling of your skin, they can limit the use of your joints.

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“Quite a lot of people are unable to work during the treatment. I had surgery, chemotherapy and radio therapy. You have that emotional turmoil and you end up in financial struggles with not as much income coming in.”

Ellie’s Friends is appealing to businesses and individuals for donations to pass onto cancer patients to ease the financial and psychological impact of living with cancer.

Donations are passed on via the “freebies” page of the Ellie’s Friends website www.elliesfriends.org/freebies. If you would like to offer a gift or for more information email [email protected].

To make a monetary donation to the charity text BIGC22 and the amount of your choosing to 70070.

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