“Your illness is not who you are, it debilitates you some days, but it does not define you.” – Helen Edwards

In every family, sickness and its effects can look very different, and staying positive during any kind of illness can be hard to maintain.

Local resident in Raynes Park, Helen Edwards, received her diagnosis of Stage 4 Cancer almost a year and 10 months ago.

Known to be a bright and happy presence on a quiet residential street, Helen is often seen tending to her garden as well as helping her neighbours and baking them treats.

There are many weakening effects of Stage 4 cancer which can make it hard to do certain things that you used to do before.

This can feel tiring and make you see things differently.

Helen had retired before she received her diagnosis and used to engage in many activities, including a range of sports, volunteering at a food bank, setting up an elderly group at a local library as well as travelling, to places like India and Croatia.

Though she isn’t able to do all of these activities to the best of her ability now, her positivity really inspired me to interview her and I learned that her sickness has not stopped her from being as active and optimistic as she was.

She mentioned that “Life is what you make of it” and she wants to live her life to the best of her abilities.

When asked what her favourite hobbies to do now are she said that she enjoys gardening as it is very therapeutic and helps with her neuropathy in her feet and hands, meeting with her large group of friends, going to quiz nights, and travelling.

She got the chance to go to Croatia recently and said she appreciated the trip greatly.

After asking her about any tips she would give to help other people stay positive, she advised that support is really important.

She never lost contact with friends and she found people to be her biggest source of comfort so she suggested that joining a group of some kind and creating a community is really key, because she thinks that “Loneliness is your worst enemy”.

She also mentioned that everyone should try and find something to look forward to and take advantage of the time they have and spend it well.

She is an avid “doer, thinker, and planner” (in her own words) and she engages in so many activities, she loves having a day in to relax and rest as well and she says that’s important too.

Most importantly, Helen said that “illness is not who you are” and that mindset should never control you – this is really important in thinking positively.

Never let your sickness define who you are and live your life to the best of your ability and don’t think about what you can’t do.

Finally, I asked Helen why she chooses to be positive.

To this, she aptly replied that many people took the time to save her life. Doctors who tried their best and consultants who never gave up are the reason Helen wants to live happily as she is grateful for them and so she has to live her life as positively as possible in gratitude to them as they are who got her here today, and she is now much healthier.

Helen truly inspired me to write this article as so many people go through different kinds of illnesses and have so many responses to it.

I think this is a really nice view to have and takes the negativity out of what illness is generally associated with.