An inspirational guide by a North Wales student on living with cancer is attracting worldwide interest.
Megan Fletcher died of cancer in her mother’s arms in May last year when she was just 21.
It was only after her death did her mother Fiona discover that Megan had used her precious time to write advice for other sufferers on how not to become a victim of cancer and how to retain their identity.
Megan’s mantra was ‘My name is NOT cancer’ (MNINC) and that is the title of the pamphlet published by Fiona, and a website, launched in March.
It offers sound practical advice, expands on Megan’s work, including even her poetry, and invites contributions and experiences from others.
Fiona, of Wern, Bersham, said: “The website is not a memorial to Megan. It is a resource for patients, the real people who are facing this disease, to give them confidence to say ‘I’m still me’.
“I hope the professionals will look at it and do more to help people retain their sense of self – and that it is not just about a treatment regime.”
MNINC is now available at cancer treatment centres across the UK and in the Middle East, where Fiona, Megan, her youngest daughter Rebecca, 20, and husband Ian, 50, lived for 10 years and where Ian is still working in the oil and gas industry.
But Fiona gets calls from all over the world, from people who have been inspired by the website, and she has had approaches to see if the MNINC pamphlet can be translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German and Arabic.
She is also being invited to collaborate with other cancer organisations and speak at conferences.
Megan went to primary school in Minera and secondary school in Dubai when the family moved to the Middle East to live what Fiona describes as the big family “adventure”.
Megan enrolled in Plymouth University to study human biosciences. But by 20 she had been diagnosed with refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive cancer which proved resistant to an array of chemotherapy treatments.
Before university she had taken a gap year and became a qualified dive master. At university she was a member of the basketball team. Even through her illness, Megan completed her first year of studies and the university awarded a posthumous degree to her family at an emotional ceremony on what would have been her 22nd birthday.
“She was ill for 16 months and experienced all the different emotions which go along with being diagnosed with cancer.
“It was during that time she was supported by many remarkable organisations that offered her financial and emotional support however there was this area of her life which was not being met and it resulted in Megan being incredibly lonely during her journey with cancer.
“She then decided if she created hints and tips for other people that she did not have access to it might help them take control of their identity back from the disease,” said Fiona.
Megan’s aim, and the quest of MNINC was “to encourage any individual whether newly diagnosed, treated, recovered or life limited, to understand cancer does not define them; it is not their identity.”
She never accepted her life limited (terminal) diagnosis. Ten days before she died she was horse riding. It was that determination, her thirst for life, which made Fiona realise that she had a responsibility to carry on and do something with Megan’s work.
“I sat on it for some time while we were trying to come to terms with the grief and the loss. But I felt increasingly compelled to do something,” said Fiona.
“Megan had determination to live her life to the ultimate and that gave her control.”
Megan wanted cancer sufferers to feel positive and empowered, not overwhelmed by the disease and the treatment process. And her conclusions, and the advice found on the website have struck a chord.
MNINC is a not-for-profit organisation which seeks nothing more than to cover its costs – thousands of the pamphlets have been distributed to doctors’ surgeries, hospitals, youth services and palliative care centres.
“I have no preconceived ideas about where this is going, the people who read the MNIC publication and access the site will decide.”
The website, which contains instructions how to obtain the pamphlet, is at www.mynameisnotcancer.com
