Cancer is a word we all dread - but survival rates are getting better all the time.
In this month's Health Telegraph, in today's Grimsby Telegraph, we focus on cancer, hearing from cancer survivors who advise how spotting signs early helped save their lives.
Plus we meet the Marie Curie Cancer care nurses who look after patients towards the end of their lives...
Here, Julie Saunders talks about the support she received which allowed her mum to die in the comfort of her own home.
Read the 8-page supplement in today's Telegraph.
"MY mum was able to die in the comfort of her own home – these people are a blessing."
These are the words of Julie Saunders, chair of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes Marie Curie fundraising group, as she praises the charity's nurses for their continuous hard work.
Julie admits she knew very little about Marie Curie until her mum died of cancer in 2011.
She now helps raise money for them where possible and spreads the word about the charity across North East Lincolnshire.
Julie said: "My mum developed cancer in her oesophagus, which spread to her lung and liver.
"It was all very quick to take in but the support from Marie Curie nurses made all the difference.
"They allowed my mum to feel comfortable when she died and to be surrounded by family in her own home – a place she was familiar with.
"The nurses gave my family that lift during the hardest times."
Julie believes without the help of these nurses, her mum might not have been able to spend her last few days in the place she knew best.
Months after her death, Julie wanted to thank Marie Curie in the only way she knew would have an impact – holding a fundraising event in memory of her mum.
She said: "I now hold an annual tea party in my garden. The first year after my mum died I managed to raise £1,600 and last year I reached £2,000.
"It was at one of my tea parties when I was approached by a manager of Marie Curie who at the time was looking for volunteers to set up a local fundraising group.
"I was more than happy to help and I now encourage others to support this charity – you never know when you may need these nurses' help."
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