Between the ages of 6/7 and 17, I lost all four of my grandparents (two of them to cancer), one dog, an aunt and a cousin (also to cancer). I’ve got to the point where I completely neutralise the process and my responses to it. People tell me I’m very mature for my age but I owe that to a combination of dealing with multiple deaths and dealing with my Mum’s four experiences of cancer. It’s a strange contrast to grow up as a witness to so many deaths alongside my Mum continually “beating” death and overcoming it with resilience. I have a thorough understanding of death and its inevitability but with the nuance of knowing illness does not have to equate to death.
