Lives & Times Meets Antonia Mariconda for Bowel Cancer Fundraising Book

It was during the summer of 2015 that I spent an amazing evening in the swanky W Hotel off Leicester Square meeting and photographing Antonia Mariconda @CosmedicCoach for the Lives & Times bowel cancer fundraising book. Antonia was there to help launch a new app called the Beauty Tracker designed to help patients buy cosmetic surgery treatments safely. This was surely one of the most unexpected photos in the book for me, in so much as I think I could have lived to be 100 and never gone to any event like this without having done the book. A lovely champagne reception and I was looked after very well by Antonia. I had linked up with her on social media, and she was keen to be involved with the book. I have learnt an awful lot from her in the positive ways to use social media and networking to promote and sell the book. 

We were also photographed by professional photographer Joe Alvarez who was covering the event. It's not often that I have been photographed in such a way if ever! I also met Doctor Hilary Jones, who was a really nice man. In fact it was a lovely crowd there.

I have been supporting Beating Bowel Cancer since 2012, as it was then that my mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer. In September 2012 she had a section of her bowel removed and then at the start of 2013 she underwent two further operations on her lungs where she had a cancerous nodule ,which was a secondary bowel cancer. Mum remained in remission for about 18 months, but unfortunately in November 2014 another cancerous nodule appeared on her left lung. She underwent surgery in February 2015 which was successful, and made a fantastic recovery. Unfortunately her October CT scan revealed that the cancer had once again come back on her left lung and more bad news followed in November following a seizure we found out that the cancer had spread to her brain. Mum had "CyberKnife" treatment in January 2016 for the brain cancer. Two months later she had more lung surgery, this time to remove the lower lob of her left lung where the cancer kept returning to. Sadly the treatment on the brain cancer was only partially successful, and a seizure in June 2016 left her virtually paralysed down her her right side and severely affected her speech. Following the seizure she spent almost 6 weeks in hospital where we had the devastating news that her condition became terminal. She moved into a nursing home for end of life palliative care where she spent the last month of her life. The staff there were brilliant and she got the 24/7 care that she needed. She passed away peacefully on August 29th, 2016 a week after celebrating her 80th birthday,

I would like to thank Antonia for her continued support. She was really keen to do something for Mum when she found out about her terminal condition, but sadly Mum passed away before this could happen.

Lives & Times has now raised over £3250 for Beating Bowel Cancer. All proceeds are donated to the charity so please support the book and the recent stunning screen print both of which are available on my www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website.