Cancer taught me how to live and not to regret – that's how I want my children to remember me – The Sun

There is some good things about cancer.

Do not get me wrong, I wish I did not have this phrase of life above my head.

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I would like not to have to constantly worry about dying and letting my kids grow up without their mother.

But the reality is that we do not always get everything we want.

Full of regret before cancer

Three years ago, before my stage 4 bowel cancer was diagnosed, my life was completely different.

At the time, if someone had asked me if I had any regrets, if I had fallen stiff on the spot, I would have said, "Yes , 100%".

I would have regretted not having spent enough time with my children, taking my loved ones for granted, not being present and living enough in the present moment.

Before cancer – my life in BC – I always thought I had more time.

I was counting on tomorrow's coming to give me the chance to fill my list of hopes and dreams.

I was counting on another day to take a vacation and create memories with my kids.

I was happy to live in life with an eye on retirement and to prepare great travel plans once the job was done.

And it seems that I am not alone. A new study by Remember A Charity this week showed that four out of ten Britons live with regrets and are half afraid of losing their lives.

Now, I hope you do not have to receive the same wake up call as me, but take note.

Cancer has changed everything

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I have also lived with regrets, but cancer has appeared in my life and has deeply shaken me.

Everything changed, the floor was badped under me when the doctors pronounced the expression "stage 4 cancer".

I have been forced to reevaluate every part of my life and ask myself very difficult questions.

Before cancer – my life in BC – I always thought I had more time. I was counting on tomorrow's coming to give me the chance to fill my list of hopes and dreams

How did I want to spend what could be my last days?

How do I want my children, family and friends to remember me?

And with that, cancer has changed my view of life.

In the face of death, I chose to live for the moment

Faced with the very real fact that I could die – and soon – I was forced to look at things differently.

At that time, I realized what I had always known – life is really too short.

Unfortunately for me, it took a cancer to make me see that.

It took my own mortality for me to really live my life, that I kiss every day and that I do not regret anything.

It is easy to sit down and say "if only I had time to do that" and "if only I could do it". The hard part is actually doing it.

These are the little things that make precious memories

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What I understood was that not having regrets does not necessarily concern the great things in life.

Yes, holidays and big projects are nice.

But small changes have had a huge impact for me and my family.

It's about finding the gold nuggets that help you live the present moment and enjoy what you have right now.

Returning home ten minutes earlier, watching movies with my family, dancing with my kids, even while walking.

In the end, these are the things I want my kids to remember.

I want them to keep those memories everyday.

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I want them to remember me as pbadionate about life and alive – and pbadionate about them.

I want them to remember their weird and crazy mom who danced with them in the rain, drank wine and laughed when she wanted to cry.

I want them to be proud of me for having a positive impact on cancer and its signs and symptoms.

I want them to live in a world where they do not have to worry about cancer – and I want them to know that I've done everything I could to that happen.

And I want them to grow up without regret, that they place their health first, that they live in the present moment and that they make the most of every opportunity.

You only regret things that you have not tried

In the end, you only regret the chances that you have not taken.

It's a little old-fashioned, I know. But that's true.

Do not put things back, do not regret not seeing your loved ones. Stand up and see the present moment, and create those memories now.

The past is over, needless to regret.

None of us can count on tomorrow, cancer or no cancer.

So, today, that's all we have – so go get it.

Dance in charity

This week, I had the mother of all requests … I was asked to dance on a podium … to WEMBLEY.

Needless to say, I did not need to think about it for a long time.

As you read this, I will be wearing my dance shoes alongside stars such as Kimberley Wyatt and Oti Mabuse, all in the name of a good cause.

We participate in a record dance attempt for 30 hours, without stopping.

Tesco launched Dance Beats, a fundraiser to raise funds for three UK health charities – Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK.

With cancer, heart disease and diabetes responsible for more than half of the deaths in this country, it is essential that we all do more to address these issues, and fundraise to fund research is a major challenge. excellent starting point.

Dance Beats aims to bring the nation together, to bring together millions of people.

It will last three days, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

You can get involved in three ways:

• Support your local store – visit your local Tesco store and support fundraising events.

• Show your moves – check out Tesco social networks and try one of the characteristic movements of Dance Beats. Tesco will donate £ 10 to the Dance Beats campaign up to a maximum of £ 100,000 for each dance movement you import.

• Create your own event – download the Dance Beats fundraising guide and create your own community dance event

For more information, visit www.Tesco.com/DanceBeats