Truly written from the heart

But her cancer journey has led to her finding a previously undiscovered talent – and a way to help others, by raising money for Trinity Hospice.

It started with a fall against a door, leaving bad bruising which wouldn’t heal. After a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsies, Kate was given the devastating news by a consultant at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, she had clear cell carcinoma – a cancer usually associated with the renal system – at between stages three and four, in 2011. Her treatment began straight away, with a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Kate, of Lytham, said: “The prognosis was poor, and I thought my world had ended. I felt like the future had been taken away.”

Kate’s experience led her to write poems, under the pseudonym Felicity Trundle. She did not set out to write poetry, but has since collected the works together and published her book – My Cancer Journey in Poetry.

And Kate is using the book, along with other hand-made items, such as knitted tea cosies, hats and baby clothes, to raise money for Bispham-based Trinity Hospice.

Kate, a former GP surgery practice manager, said: “I had never written poetry before. The poems just came into my head.

“They came into my head at any time of the day or night. They came verbatim, so I had to write them down there and then – I had pads and pencils all over the house, otherwise I couldn’t remember them.

“The poems increased and although it never occurred to me at the outset, I was encourage to get them published.”

Kate decided to publish her work in aid of Trinity Hospice, which she had a connection to as it had helped her with lymphoedema.

Kate also hopes exposing her poetry – available on Kindle and other downloads – to a wider audience could help others going through similar experiences.

• Visit felicitytrundle.co.uk