"As I walked down the aisle, few knew I had cancer"

They had rushed to organise the event following the diagnosis of Rob’s brother, Peter, with terminal cancer but just days before, Jane had received more bad news.

“Just before Christmas, I went for a routine smear test and hadn’t thought much more about it,” she said, “After Christmas they called and said they had found some abnormal cells and wanted to do some more tests. There was no particular panic at that stage.”

Their optimism gave way to concern when a blood test found ovarian cancer markers at very high levels. “Suddenly everything took off like a rocket,” Jane, from Heworth, said, “We were on track with the wedding planning but everything was starting to unravel.”

Despite their apprehension, the Valentine’s Day wedding at The Guildhall, in the shadow of Windsor Castle, was a moving occasion made particularly special by the presence of Peter as best man.

“I have a memory of a very nice day,” Jane said, “I’m very glad we did it, it would be very hard to have had a wedding since as so much has happened.

“It was very emotional for the people who knew but I think for the ones who didn’t, it was a joyous occasion.”

Two days later, the newlyweds returned home to a harsh reality.

At York Hospital, the couple were told Jane had stage three ovarian cancer, with an inoperable tumour sitting on the bowel. Chemotherapy would be needed to shrink the tumour before an extensive operation.

The future suddenly seemed very uncertain. “My birthday was in June and Rob asked if we would be able to do something. They told us not to make any plans.”

It was while she was undergoing chemotherapy that Peter (pictured below with Rob) died, having rapidly declined in the weeks after the wedding.

Later, Jane’s chemotherapy was deemed a success, and in the summer of 2015 surgeons were able to remove the large tumour in an extensive operation. Unfortunately the surgery included some intestinal surgery, making Jane’s recovery even more challenging. More chemotherapy followed, with Jane wearing a cold cap to prevent some hair loss. “I remember hearing someone say that when you go through cancer, you don’t get better, you get different,” Jane said.

Having previously had a very fit and active life, she had to follow doctors instructions to be cautious with her exercise. Instead she followed a careful diet and prescribed strengthening exercises.

Her recovery has been slow and challenging, she said.

“You have to adapt, otherwise you end up living in a negative world,” Jane said, “You have to do what you are asked. If you’re told to do something - be it stop smoking, lose weight, do exercise - it’s your job to do that. Not everybody does what they’re told but in my experience you get a better response.” But Jane, who is in her fifties, said she has an immense amount of gratitude to the NHS and her experiences have given her a greater degree of empathy. “Everyone in that situation is in a tragedy, it’s your own personal tragedy,” she said. “I’m more appreciative of other people’s problems now. I understand when people are in these situations they are in their own private misery.”

The support of various charities and organisations has helped immensely. York Against Cancer offered the use of its Whitby flat last autumn while Jane was in recovery, taking her away from home for the first time.

“It’s a nice confidence boost between being at home and becoming a bit more independent,” she said.

“York Against Cancer has made it a more pleasurable journey. It’s the additional things that makes it a bit more pleasant.”

The support of a Macmillan nurse has been invaluable, as has the Heal exercise programme in York, which means she can be among people going through similar experiences and who want to get better.

Sheer joy came from being able to attend Opera North’s performances of the complete Ring Cycle this year - tickets she had booked as an incentive without knowing if she would be able to make it.

“Once I started to improve around Easter this year, I knew I could give it a shot and we went to the four performances in May and June - it was wonderful and really great to have something so fabulous to look forward to.”

Jane’s outlook is unknown as the type of cancer she had can return, but check-ups so far have gone well. It’s a stark contrast to the experiences of her parent’s generation, who saw a diagnosis of cancer as a death sentence. Progress in just one generation has made such a difference to survival chances, Jane said. “If I’m lucky and they got it all, I’m lucky. If not, I will have to deal with it when it comes back,” she said, “That’s alarming if you dwell on it but it won’t make any difference so it’s a case of picking up the threads.

“For me there was so much to live and fight for. “We had just got married and set up a house and I wanted to fight for that and everything we wanted to do. All I could do was give it my best shot and I still can.”