A hospital manager, who had cancer treatment where she works, at The Christie, will do a skydive next month, just 12 months after the shock of being told she had breast cancer.
Marie Hosey (54), from Swinton, will do a parachute jump to raise money for The Christie charity as a thank you for the lifesaving chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment she received.
Mum of two Marie, who is an assistant chief operating officer at The Christie, will be doing the skydive along with her stepdaughter Alice McLaughlin (30) and friend Louise Wood (50). She was inspired to do the skydive after watching her daughter Ellie Hosey (20), niece Niamh Hosey-Roberts (22) and nephew Matthew Morys-Edge (19) raise over £1,700 for The Christie at a parachute jump in April.
Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2021 after discovering a breast lump. “I called my GP, who was fabulous,” said Marie. “I had an appointment within 24 hours and a full triple assessment for breast cancer within the same week at my local hospital. My initial reaction was utter shock and disbelief, after losing both of my parents to cancer. I was angry at first and didn’t want my girls to see me suffer.”
Marie had surgery to remove the lump at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in July 2021, followed by six cycles of chemotherapy at The Christie in Withington from September 2021 and radiotherapy at The Christie at Salford from 1 February 2022.
She is now cancer free and feels that everything possible has been done to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence. She remains under the care of the oncology team at The Christie and breast care nurse in Bolton and will have annual mammograms for at least the next five years.
“I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Marie. “I know I might be biased, as I have worked at The Christie for 19 years, but the staff who treated me were amazing, nothing was too much trouble and they made me feel exceptionally well looked after. I felt incredibly safe in their hands. Everyone was helpful, friendly and exceptionally professional.
“The Christie is a very special place and people from Greater Manchester are very lucky to have it. No one ever wants to have to come to The Christie as a patient, but when they do, they are looked after so well. The chemotherapy team arranged for me to have appointments at convenient times and the radiotherapy team scheduled my appointments first thing in the morning, so I was able to continue to work during treatment.
“My girls and my friends helped me get through the last year, they have been my rocks. My daughters have handled the situation exceptionally well and I’m incredibly proud of them. And I’ve had friends who checked in with me every day and got me out for walks, even if I didn’t feel like going. My team at The Christie and work colleagues generally have also been incredibly supportive and helped me get through the treatment.
“The Look Good, Feel Better workshops for cancer patients helped improve my self esteem and being with other cancer patients, and doing something fun was really helpful.
“The experience of having cancer has made me a stronger person. I’ve got a much better outlook on life. I’m spending more quality time with my girls and the people who make me smile, and my motto is live for today as tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
Despite being a bit nervous, Marie is looking forward to the skydive on 13 August. “It’s the first time I’ll have jumped out of a plane,” she said. “I’ve got colleagues who have done it before though and loved every second. Doing the jump is my way to give something back to the people who helped me through my cancer journey.
“The money raised for The Christie goes into enhanced patient care and treatment over and above what the NHS can afford. I now know from personal experience why this is such an important cause. Having cancer is tough, both mentally and physically, and takes a lot out of you. Anything that makes it better for patients today and in the future is so important.
The skydive isn’t the first time Marie has raised money for The Christie. Seven years ago, with a work colleague, she raised more than £500 walking on fire and ice. And she has also run in the Great Manchester Run over 10km.
Following the skydive, Marie is planning a Mexican carnival cruise with her best friend in September along with a visit to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans in the USA.
Both of Marie’s parents were also treated at The Christie but she lost her mum to ovarian cancer and her dad to lung cancer.
Anyone interested in doing a skydive for The Christie can visit www.christies.org/skydive for further information.
