Sarah and her family dedicate a star for Christine at Celebrate a Life every year.
Christine’s diagnosis
Sarah’s mum Christine was cared for by The Royal Marsden after being diagnosed with a Central Nervous System lymphoma in 2009 at the age of 62.
Sarah says: "After her diagnosis and surgery, Mum had intense chemotherapy for about eight months, and the disease initially went into remission. Unfortunately, in March 2011 the disease recurred, and she underwent whole brain radiotherapy. Then in August of the same year the cancer became more aggressive, and Mum was given a prognosis of only six to ten weeks to live without further treatment. So that's when me and my partner decided to get married."
"We planned the wedding five weeks to the day after she had her prognosis of six-ten weeks, so she could be there. My mum had a lot of grit, and I think having the wedding to focus on gave her strength."
"A couple of weeks before, The Royal Marsden started her on an immunotherapy trial treatment and she responded really well, much better than we’d thought. We were so pleased she got to meet Evie, our second child who was born in 2012.
"Her treatment lasted until March 2015 but then the cancer came back for a fourth time.
"She restarted immunotherapy treatment again and responded well initially, but then the disease progressed again and in June 2015, the decision was taken not to continue with any form of treatment. She died peacefully at home in August 2015.
"That extra time she’d had, four more years with us, was very precious. It gave us the chance to make special memories. It was so important to her and to us all as a family.
"The Royal Marsden gave us the chance for my mum to be at our wedding and also meet our second child. We will be forever grateful."
Christine’s star
"There's something special about The Royal Marsden. Not just how amazing it is with clinical trials like the one my Mum was on, but also how the staff treat patients and families. You never felt like you were just next in line, there was always a lot of care taken.
"We put the star on the tree for her each year to say thank you to the hospital and to celebrate my Mum. We've tried to come to as many of the Celebrate a Life carol services as we can too.
"The kids love to come for a mince pie and a hot chocolate, and then we tend to have a curry afterwards. My mum's favourite thing was to have a curry, so we always make it an event, and it’s become our little December tradition."
Will you name a star for someone special?
Behind every star is a story, and Celebrate a Life is a unique way to celebrate those most special to you. Name a star this year and make a vital difference to the lives of cancer patients and their families.