Alice Morgan had osteosarcoma in 2008 when she was 14. Alice was treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital & made a full recovery. She recently started a business called What Comes Next Coaching, which offers confidence coaching to cancer survivors & those with chronic illnesses.
While receiving treatment Alice and her family were also supported by Latch, her amazing story below details her recovery and determination to not just help herself but to use her experiences to help others as well.
Alice Morgan- What Comes Next Coaching
A month before my 15th birthday, back in 2008, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – cancer of the bone. At the time, I’d never heard of the rare disease and the news came as a massive shock to my family and friends. I had only been suffering from what we thought were growing pains. From that moment on, we were thrown into a world of chemo, biopsies and the agonising wait for test results.
I was treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff and the staff were just fantastic. The hospital was our second home for nine months and every person there was so kind to us – I’ll never forget how generous everyone was. The tumour was in my left femur which meant I was on crutches a lot of the time. My mother stayed by my side throughout my treatment and my dad would drive up to the hospital every day after work to see us.
When you’re going through something as life-changing as cancer, almost the last thing on the list is the financial effect it can have on the family. We were so lucky to have Kay, our LATCH social worker, in our corner. She was in constant contact with us to ensure we were aware of all the financial support available to us, including grants and the Motability scheme.
In the midst of so much emotional turmoil, Kay was there to help us manage the practicalities we hadn’t even had time to dwell on. If it hadn’t been for her, we wouldn’t have known half the funding we were entitled to, and that helped us cover the costs of living when my dad had to take time off from work.
After I finished my chemo, LATCH even organised a trip to Downing Street for some of the children and their families and I was lucky enough to go along. It was a day I will remember forever and it was such a lift after spending so long in hospital.
Once I was in remission, I went back to school to get my A-Levels and then went on to complete two degrees at university. I work in a job that I love and I’ve bought my own flat, near the beach. Life after cancer has been wonderful but there have been some tough moments too. Something which really affected me after my treatment was my self-confidence. When my treatment finished, I struggled to get back to ‘normal’ life and my self-esteem was really low.
It took me years to build my confidence back up and start to love myself again. I didn’t want to see anyone else take so long to reach that point. That’s why I set up my coaching business – Allie Morgan Coaching – to help cancer survivors and other women with low self confidence, find the strength to start living life on their own terms. I love seeing people have the confidence to go for what they want, because at the end of the day, life’s too short not to. Find out more at-
http://www.whatcomesnextcoaching.com/
