Clare Davis-Eaton (51) she described her grueling journey after how in 2015, she found a lump on her neck the size of a frozen pea, which led to a devastating diagnosis. A few months later, she was informed that it’s about cancer and with this news, her whole world collapsed, she writes. Cancer of the tongue metastasized to the lymph nodes and so Clare immediately began the demanding six-week treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
“It drains everything out of you, the chemotherapy was making me nauseous, I was exhausted. It wasn’t just scary for me, it was scary for my kids,” she said, describing the process as terrifying. She completed her last treatment on June 15, 2016, and in five months she was already in remission. which she described as an early Christmas present.
“Even though it wasn’t an easy journey and I had to keep going for check-ups, I felt like I was on top of the world,” she admitted. But the joy didn’t last long, because in June 2019, Clare noticed another lump. Although she underwent surgery, it was not possible to remove all the cancer cells and her oncologist recommended another round of treatment.
Clare finally agreed, and for the next six weeks she faced the weakness and nausea that accompanied the treatment again. “At the time, I felt like I couldn’t make it. I was ready to give up. I honestly didn’t think I would live to see Christmas. If I did, I felt it would be my last.” she said, explaining that she had finally put up the Christmas tree already in October that year. “We had a really crazy day, listening to Christmas music at full blast and watching movies,” she said.
Clare finished treatment in December 2019 and on her 50th birthday (23 August 2024) her doctors were delighted to announce that she was officially cancer free. “It was a gift that no one could buy for me. Having overcome cancer twice reminded me of the meaning of Christmas and what Christmas is really about. It’s not the presents under the tree, but the people who are around it. You can’t buy happiness, you can’t buy health – these gifts are priceless,” she added in conclusion.
