A remarkable Sunderland woman has raised more than £40,000 for cancer care charity Macmillan after being stunned by the support they gave her while she herself recovered from breast cancer.
Debbie Wrathmall, 51, had lost her mum to the disease just five years earlier, and she has also spoken out about how recovering from cancer can be a real mental health challenge.
Though her mum's death in 2005 - aged just 55 - led to her fundraising for charities like Cancer Research, her own diagnosis saw her ramp up her fundraising after realising how much Macmillan looks after people going through cancer treatment.
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Now, after more than a decade of charity events - including glitzy balls held at Sunderland's Roker Hotel - she has raised a fantastic £42,000 for Macmillan.
Debbie - who lives in Castletown in the city, told ChronicleLive about her fundraising: "I didn't realise how much Macmillan did for you when my mum was ill. I think I thought they just helped right at the end of your life, but when I was diagnosed I realised it was much more than that.
"I realised they are there for you. They're there from the beginning and they support you every step of the way - right through to when you feel like you don't need them."
Her cancer was diagnosed incredibly early, and treated successfully at the QE in Gateshead more than a decade ago. "With me it was early, I’d been asleep and woke up with a shooting pain in my breast that galvanised me to go immediately to the doctor.
"I like to think it was my mam looking out for me that caused that pain, as it was so random, it went as soon as I’d phoned the doctors and got the appointment and it never happened again, having that experience saved my life."
Within a week, she was diagnosed and with a month she had elected to have a mastectomy.
She said she "got through the surgery fine", but the six months of chemotherapy that followed was more of a struggle - and after that ended, her mental health took a hit.
"Once the chemo ended things didn’t improve for me, and I struggled mentally and felt totally alone despite having incredibly supportive family and friends.
"It was the feeling of not being in control I hated but I took every opportunity offered including the psychologist because I wanted to get better.
"What I would say is that for me, when you go through the treatment and the operations and then you get to the end of all of that treatment and that leaves a gap.
"It's something that I think happens to most people. I would say I probably came through the treatment and the chemotherapy more easily than the depression which happened after. That's when Macmillan were really there for me."
Through the Sunderland Cancer Patient Support Centre - funded by the charity - Debbie was able to access psychological support, while Macmillan also helped her with her mental health through arranging things like a trip to a spa while she was particularly struggling.
"Getting out of bed, being able to do something that day, that makes you feel like you're still in the world," Debbie added.
She said Macmillan's support had been "lifesaving both physically and mentally".
Over the years Debbie's balls at the Roker Hotel have been themed around children's books - and after donning fancy dress each attendee had to bring a book featuring the character they were posing as which was then donated to hospitals - but the most recent one was a black-tie event.
"Before Covid we had a ball booked but we had to delay it! When we eventually got the go ahead and decided we could do it," she said. "We wanted to do it as reason to dress up and for people to really let their hair down - and it was fantastic."
The most recent ball - held in autumn 2021 - was the one which raised most for charity too. Debbie said it had added between £4,000 and £5,000 to her total.
Looking forward, she's now aiming to break the £50,000 barrier.
Jane Curry from Macmillan added: "Debbie has been amazing not only in terms of her support for Macmillan and her award winning fundraising but also as a result of being so open, talking so candidly about her experience of cancer and all that comes with it.
"As a charity we want people to understand that there are so many elements to being diagnosed beyond treatment for the cancer itself. It’s the impact on finances when people can no longer work whilst living with cancer and cancer treatment, the impact on mental health not only for the person living with cancer but also the friends and family.
"Macmillan is there to help all those affected by cancer at every stage of their individual experience."
To support Debbie's fundraising, visit her JustGiving page.
