Suzanne Storrie
Suzanne's 5 Year Clear fundraiser
Fundraising for Beatson Cancer Charity
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity
My story
Today marks my 5 year clear date! Can't believe that it's finally here, I have spent the last few weeks reflecting a lot on the past 6 years of my life. I've decided to share with you all my story so here goes…
6 years ago I was in a pretty sad and lonely place, my marriage was over and my Gran passed away, I had not long turn 30 and I felt like my life was abit of a mess to be honest, I dealt with my marriage break-up as best as I could, and made sure my beautiful kids were ok, my Grans passing had such a massive affect on me. I've never felt grief quite like it and I was in a sad lonely place for sometime.
August 2011 I had an operation to remove half my thyroid, a simple operation to remove part of my thyroid that was diseased due to causes unknown at the time. Unfortunately I spend way longer in hospital than expected and woke up without a thyroid, it had to remove completely, I left the hospital 10 days later feeling very unwell, and also by this point I had been informed I would be on lifetime medication. I return to the hospital two weeks later for the results of the biopsy that were taken from my thyroid, only to discover that not only had my hole thyroid been removed but also 2 tumours and they were both cancerous. To say time stopped for me that day would be an understatement and if I'm completely honestly I really don't remember much else about that day, I was on my own and I went straight across the road to the nearest pub ordered a Large wine and called my Uncle who worked in the hospital and him & my aunt came and collect me.
My life changed from that moment on, it's taken me along time to even admit my true feelings about how it made me feel at the time, but now looking back on it I was in shock for a very long time and the questions I kept asking myself over and over again was why me? Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this? A few weeks passed which felt like months until I seen an oncologist. The next few months of my life were full of uncertainty, worry and I was very sick, I wasn't allowed to take any medication to give my treatment the best chance of working.
My treatment was received at the Beatson hospital, a place I've spent the last 6 years of my life attending, I spend a full 5 days locked away in a room on my own with no physical contact with anyone at all. I spent 5 days thinking, thinking a lot and I made a lot of life changing decisions in that tiny room that week. The hardest part of everything I was going through at that time was I couldn't see my wonderful children because I had radioactive iodine therapy. I spend a full month apart from them and still to this day that was the worst month of my life.
I spend a long time sleeping, as I had no energy to do anything really, it's took months and months for my medication to stabilise and I had to wait 6 months to find out if the treatment had worked. Longest 6 months of my life.
On the 09.04.12 I sat in the beatson with my Dad waiting for my results of my scans. To be told by the lovely Professor Reid that my cancer was completely gone. No trace. All clear. I walked out that's hospital with a different outlook on life. I changed. I made a promise to myself that day that by the time I got to my 5 year all clear date I would have a different life for not only me but for my children.
As a result of my length of time I had off work I ended up losing my job with the Prison Service were I worked for 12 years as a knock on affect my debt and mortgage payments stated to spiral out of control. After thinking long and hard the decision to sell our family home had to be made, which broke my heart at the time but looking back now, it was for the best. Me and the kids moved into rented accommodation, and after my medication started to stabilise I woke up and somehow I have ended up almost a size 20 and I was so miserable, I decide enough was enough and it was time to sort my life out. Clean eating commenced and shortly after that I started to exercise again, I had no working metabolism so I had to work harder to get the weight off but slowly and surly I started to drop weight and feel better and I also started to think at that point I want and need to do something to help others in the same unhappy place that I was in. 6 months later I was booked on my exercise to music course and the rest is history, Fit & Strong with Suzie Wong was born. I have managed to set up my own business and now I get to every single day help others with nutrition and exercise and more importantly I help others change their own life's. Which I never really believed till now, but it is what I was born to do.
What cancer has taught me as a person, it's ok to fall apart, it's ok to not be ok, it's ok to be scared, it's not ok to stay there though. I have many people to thank for unconditionally being there for me the last 6 years, but the two people I have to thank the most are Taylor Violet Roy & Jarred James Roy. For they are the reason I fought every single day to get better and there the reason I am who I am today, everything I've done the last 5 years has been for me and for them. Even at times I've had to make some decisions and choices that have been hard and upsetting. Everything I do is always for them and always will be.
I've also lost a lot of people along the way in my journey,because I've completely changed and that's ok, sometimes you have to let go of situations and others that will never change. I've also made some amazing new friends along the way. I will forever me gratefully to every single doctor, nurse, staff member at the beatson for bringing me back to life and to every single member of my family who have loved and supported me, and to my amazing friends, I really do have the best friends in the world.
Cancer has changed my life and it's actually changed my life for the better, I no longer sweat the small stuff, I love with everything I have, I care with all my being, and I'm always kind. Everyone is fighting battles you know nothing about. So always always be kind.
I wanted to get to my 5 year clear date being the happiest and healthiest version of me and I'm done that and for that I'm Truly proud of myself, I never ever set out to inspire anyone along the way but the fact that I've inspired people and helped them change there life's just makes me so happy and that's why I love my job now and I wouldn't change anything.. Everything happened and for a reason and what's meant to be will always find it's way.
So back to my original question why me? Why did something so terrible happen to me? My marriage broke down, I lost my beautiful Gran, I lost my beautiful house,I lost my job, but what I didn't lose was my health and that's all that really matters. Cancer has made me the person I am today and for that I am truly gratefully for everything and everyone I have in my life. 🦋
I'm raising money for the Beatson as they really did save my life, starting with the Glasgow Half and finishing on a Marathon early next year, I will also be hosting a charity night and many other challenges along the way.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity
My story
Today marks my 5 year clear date! Can't believe that it's finally here, I have spent the last few weeks reflecting a lot on the past 6 years of my life. I've decided to share with you all my story so here goes…
6 years ago I was in a pretty sad and lonely place, my marriage was over and my Gran passed away, I had not long turn 30 and I felt like my life was abit of a mess to be honest, I dealt with my marriage break-up as best as I could, and made sure my beautiful kids were ok, my Grans passing had such a massive affect on me. I've never felt grief quite like it and I was in a sad lonely place for sometime.
August 2011 I had an operation to remove half my thyroid, a simple operation to remove part of my thyroid that was diseased due to causes unknown at the time. Unfortunately I spend way longer in hospital than expected and woke up without a thyroid, it had to remove completely, I left the hospital 10 days later feeling very unwell, and also by this point I had been informed I would be on lifetime medication. I return to the hospital two weeks later for the results of the biopsy that were taken from my thyroid, only to discover that not only had my hole thyroid been removed but also 2 tumours and they were both cancerous. To say time stopped for me that day would be an understatement and if I'm completely honestly I really don't remember much else about that day, I was on my own and I went straight across the road to the nearest pub ordered a Large wine and called my Uncle who worked in the hospital and him & my aunt came and collect me.
My life changed from that moment on, it's taken me along time to even admit my true feelings about how it made me feel at the time, but now looking back on it I was in shock for a very long time and the questions I kept asking myself over and over again was why me? Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this? A few weeks passed which felt like months until I seen an oncologist. The next few months of my life were full of uncertainty, worry and I was very sick, I wasn't allowed to take any medication to give my treatment the best chance of working.
My treatment was received at the Beatson hospital, a place I've spent the last 6 years of my life attending, I spend a full 5 days locked away in a room on my own with no physical contact with anyone at all. I spent 5 days thinking, thinking a lot and I made a lot of life changing decisions in that tiny room that week. The hardest part of everything I was going through at that time was I couldn't see my wonderful children because I had radioactive iodine therapy. I spend a full month apart from them and still to this day that was the worst month of my life.
I spend a long time sleeping, as I had no energy to do anything really, it's took months and months for my medication to stabilise and I had to wait 6 months to find out if the treatment had worked. Longest 6 months of my life.
On the 09.04.12 I sat in the beatson with my Dad waiting for my results of my scans. To be told by the lovely Professor Reid that my cancer was completely gone. No trace. All clear. I walked out that's hospital with a different outlook on life. I changed. I made a promise to myself that day that by the time I got to my 5 year all clear date I would have a different life for not only me but for my children.
As a result of my length of time I had off work I ended up losing my job with the Prison Service were I worked for 12 years as a knock on affect my debt and mortgage payments stated to spiral out of control. After thinking long and hard the decision to sell our family home had to be made, which broke my heart at the time but looking back now, it was for the best. Me and the kids moved into rented accommodation, and after my medication started to stabilise I woke up and somehow I have ended up almost a size 20 and I was so miserable, I decide enough was enough and it was time to sort my life out. Clean eating commenced and shortly after that I started to exercise again, I had no working metabolism so I had to work harder to get the weight off but slowly and surly I started to drop weight and feel better and I also started to think at that point I want and need to do something to help others in the same unhappy place that I was in. 6 months later I was booked on my exercise to music course and the rest is history, Fit & Strong with Suzie Wong was born. I have managed to set up my own business and now I get to every single day help others with nutrition and exercise and more importantly I help others change their own life's. Which I never really believed till now, but it is what I was born to do.
What cancer has taught me as a person, it's ok to fall apart, it's ok to not be ok, it's ok to be scared, it's not ok to stay there though. I have many people to thank for unconditionally being there for me the last 6 years, but the two people I have to thank the most are Taylor Violet Roy & Jarred James Roy. For they are the reason I fought every single day to get better and there the reason I am who I am today, everything I've done the last 5 years has been for me and for them. Even at times I've had to make some decisions and choices that have been hard and upsetting. Everything I do is always for them and always will be.
I've also lost a lot of people along the way in my journey,because I've completely changed and that's ok, sometimes you have to let go of situations and others that will never change. I've also made some amazing new friends along the way. I will forever me gratefully to every single doctor, nurse, staff member at the beatson for bringing me back to life and to every single member of my family who have loved and supported me, and to my amazing friends, I really do have the best friends in the world.
Cancer has changed my life and it's actually changed my life for the better, I no longer sweat the small stuff, I love with everything I have, I care with all my being, and I'm always kind. Everyone is fighting battles you know nothing about. So always always be kind.
I wanted to get to my 5 year clear date being the happiest and healthiest version of me and I'm done that and for that I'm Truly proud of myself, I never ever set out to inspire anyone along the way but the fact that I've inspired people and helped them change there life's just makes me so happy and that's why I love my job now and I wouldn't change anything.. Everything happened and for a reason and what's meant to be will always find it's way.
So back to my original question why me? Why did something so terrible happen to me? My marriage broke down, I lost my beautiful Gran, I lost my beautiful house,I lost my job, but what I didn't lose was my health and that's all that really matters. Cancer has made me the person I am today and for that I am truly gratefully for everything and everyone I have in my life. 🦋
I'm raising money for the Beatson as they really did save my life, starting with the Glasgow Half and finishing on a Marathon early next year, I will also be hosting a charity night and many other challenges along the way.