Faith and diet give hope to mum-of-six with terminal cancer
EIGHT months after receiving a devastating terminal cancer diagnosis, Sopley mum-of-six Hannah Welberry says adopting a plant-based diet and putting her faith in God has given her hope for the future.
The inspirational mum, who previously ran the Robin’s Nest tea rooms at MacPennys Nurseries in Bransgore, says the incredible support of the Sopley community has also helped carry her family through their darkest days.
Together with her husband, Dan, and there four girls and two boys, Hannah has now set her sights on creating an organic allotment at their new home in Bisterne, which will enable her to continue eating the diet she credits with helping to fight her cancer.
Hannah (39) recalls visiting doctors a number of times with debilitating headaches over the course of a year before receiving her diagnosis last July.
She said: “I had been to the doctors again on a Friday and they were still telling me that it wasn’t serious - there were no red flags.
“But by the Sunday the headache was so painful and I was seeing funny colours, so I called 111 and they advised me to go to Bournemouth Hospital straight away.”
After undergoing a series of scans Hannah was told she had eight tumours in her brain, two in her lungs, two in her kidneys and two in her stomach lining.
Her oncologist said the tumours had originated from a melanoma, but the primary source could not be found.
She said: “I always say to people that I went into hospital with a headache and I came home with a terminal cancer diagnosis.”
Despite receiving the news that her illness could not be cured, and the best hope was for treatment to prolong her life, Hannah immediately started researching dietary changes that could help her fight the illness.
She cut out all refined sugar, meat and dairy and started eating an organic plant-based diet.
“I did a lot of research and started the diet straight away,” said Hannah. “It has been a great focus for me and it’s really worked.”
“I feel really well and strong - my hair is thicker, my nails are growing incredibly quickly, my skin has cleared up and I’ve lost three stone.”
The family currently has organic fruit and vegetables delivered as part of a box scheme, but Hannah hopes she will soon be able to grow her own when they move to their new home in the next couple of months.
The property, which had been empty for seven years, was taken on by Dan and Hannah shortly before her diagnosis. “It was always going to be a huge renovation project, but it was our dream family home so we were ready for the challenge,” said Dan, who runs his own marketing company.
However, work on the house has not gone smoothly, with the initial builder downing tools shortly before Christmas and leaving the family in the lurch.
Since then neighbours and friends from Sopley have arranged weekend working parties to get as much done as possible so the family can move in.
When word of Hannah’s illness reached the community, she says the family were touched by the huge outpouring of love.
“In the early days the love and support was overwhelming, I felt like God had sent me a team of angels,” said Hannah.
“Neighbours arrived with food parcels, friends called in to check on us and everyone wanted to help where they could.”
Last August the Woolpack Inn hosted a cocktails and casino evening with live music to raise money so that Hannah and Dan could make precious memories with their children Naomi (21), Niamh (16), Nell (14), Elijah (11), Eden (7) and Buddy (5).
Hannah said: “The diagnosis was initially devastating, but so much good has come out of it. It has been really humbling to be on the receiving end of so much love and support and my genuine faith has really helped me to stay focused on the positive.
“The money that the community has raised for us has enabled us to have a trip to the theatre with the children and we are just about to go to Center Parcs.”
Hannah is currently taking daily tablets which are a form of chemotherapy specifically developed for melanoma cancers, and in January she travelled to Bristol to undergo targeted Gamma knife treatment to reduce the tumours in her brain.
Her latest scans have shown that 10 of the 14 tumours have disappeared, and the remaining four have dramatically reduced in size.
She said: “The oncologists have said that the treatment that I’m on usually stops being effective after about three years and then the next option would be immunotherapy.”
Hannah, who attended Bransgore Community Church until her illness meant she was unable to drive, says she also has faith that God will deliver a miracle.
“Without my faith in God I would have been unable to stay so positive – and I really believe that nothing is impossible,” she said.
“It’s been a process – there have certainly been dark days but the support we have received has been immense and that has helped to get us through.
“My children know that things have changed but they are all praying for me and for the most part we are trying to keep life as normal as possible for them.
“So many people have said to me that they really feel I am going to be okay – and I believe that.”
Hannah hopes to inspire others with her positive outlook and is currently writing a book chronicling her journey, which will be called God’s Love and Lettuce.
“When you are told you have terminal cancer you really have two choices – you can either let it get you down or you can let it grow you,” she said. “I have decided to grow.
“It has certainly changed my outlook – things that would have once been important now seem pretty insignificant.”
To support Hannah’s fund to create an organic vegetable garden and help the family make memories together, visit uk.gofundme.com/supporthannahw
