"It was just fantastic, we got a really good bond going. I try not to think about the future, and take every day as it comes."
Emma's Story
“It was very posh!” laughs Emma. She’s talking about an apartment at the UK’s first ever holiday camp, Butlins in Skegness, where she’s just come back from a short break with her partner Scott and daughter Evie-Rose.
They’d never been away as a family before and there’s a reason why now it’s more important than ever to Emma for them all to spend proper time together and create some amazing memories.
Emma has lived with mental health challenges for many years after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and then going on to develop agoraphobia. The two conditions have stopped her from experiencing many everyday events with her daughter. Simple pleasures like taking her to the park or going swimming.
With help from the mental health support service Sheffield Foundations, Emma had gradually been gaining the confidence to start leaving the house and do things with Evie, now nearly seven. However, when she found out about the cancer, she felt as if she’d been kicked in the teeth.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March, then I went for a body scan and they said I have lesions on my liver. When I went back for the results, they told me they can’t cure it. They can control it but basically it messed my head up. It’s not been easy, I just take every day as it comes.
She managed to pick herself back up though and welcomed the prospect of getting away from everything for a few days. Emma says:
I just wanted to put it all to the back of my mind and spend quality time with my partner and my daughter.
The last few months have been full of hospital appointments and, because of a recent house move, money has been tight so the thought of a holiday simply wasn’t an option. Until the family’s support worker, Nicola stepped in to nominate them for one with Family Holiday Charity.
According to Nicola: “Emma began grieving the years and experiences she will miss with her daughter, so I have worked intensely with her to help her make memories and facilitate experiences. Working through her list of things she would love to do while she can, Emma said she couldn’t remember when she last had a holiday and said she had never been away with her partner and daughter as she had never been well enough.”
Family Holiday Charity arranged transportation and food vouchers for their holiday, and Emma was able to relax and really make the most of their stay. Emma mentioned:
We went to the beach - it was a bit chilly but we built some sandcastles. We went to some shows, we went on rides. I just wanted to do as much as I can while I’m still here.
For Evie and Scott, the five days were a precious opportunity to see Emma smiling and laughing. Moments that they will be able to recall and treasure in difficult days to come. Emma is the first to acknowledge what a difference the holiday made. “I’d really like someone else in my position to get offered that opportunity.”
It was just fantastic, we got a really good bond going. I didn’t want to go back and face reality to be honest. But I try not to think about the future, I just take every day as it comes.
Emma’s support worker was thrilled that the family had such a good time. “I have worked for many years in jobs very similar to what I am doing now,” says Nicola, “but that moment, seeing their excitement and happiness while also knowing their sadness, was one of the most heart-warming and rewarding moments in my working life.”
She continues: “Emma called me on their second day on holiday to thank me. She said they were having the best time ever and were on their way to the beach. I went to see her when she was back home and she said she didn’t realise how much she needed that holiday and that for five days there was no cancer or sadness. They will never forget the memories."