For Rena Grant, life is all about making memories since she was diagnosed with cancer.
“It’s about doing what makes us happy,” she said. “Making the most of every day and spending time with people you love.
“That’s what it’s all about now.”
The 51-year-old, from Maud, will be making a very special memory when she takes to the stage for this year’s Courage on the Catwalk.
“Having cancer and going through what we’ve been through, you just think ‘Why not?’, she added. “If I can get through this, I can get up on that catwalk.”
Mrs Grant will be joined by 23 other women who are all raising funds for Friends of Anchor’s new cancer support centre.
“They do such amazing things,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to do something I’d never normally have the chance to do.
“They’re such a great group of women and are all so inspirational. We’re all in it together.”
Charity offer a ‘lifeline’
The mum-of-two was diagnosed with incurable stage three lung cancer in February 2020 just before the country went into lockdown.
“Your whole world just collapses,” she said. “The doctor was going on and all I could do was focus on the word incurable. He said it couldn’t be cured but it could be managed.
“Due to having lupus, some of the treatments weren’t available to me. So, it turned out I’d be on a target therapy drug which is taken daily to get things reduced and keep on top of it.”
When her treatment began during lockdown, she said the services provided by Friends of Anchor became a lifeline.
She started attending their virtual coffee mornings and is still a regular at the weekly Brew and Blether group.
“I was lost for a start,” she said. “It was great to speak to people who knew what I was going through and I’ve made some really good friends.”
Through the charity, she has also attended a mindfulness course, which she still uses in everyday life, and one of their retreat days in the city.
“They’re all great services which make things a wee bit easier when times are tough,” she added.
‘Family keep me grounded’
Throughout everything, her husband, Kenny Grant, and two sons Ryan, 23, and Lee, 20, have also provided endless support – especially when she found out her cancer had spread in December 2021.
“I felt like I was back to square one,” she said. “But the new drug is working well. That was over a year ago and things are now stable, things have reduced and nothing new has appeared.
“I have to take that as a positive.”
Courage on the Catwalk will take place at the Beach Ballroom on May 6 and 7.
Conversation