A VETERINARY nurse donated kindness boxes to cancer patients before ringing the bell to mark the end of her own treatment.
Rachel Pilling from Parr, a locum veterinary nurse and a 1:1 wellness coach, describes herself as seeing "the positives in everything".
However, in August after finding a lump in her right breast, the 34-year-old was diagnosed with grade three breast cancer.
Despite this, Rachel, who is mum to two-year-old Meghan, started treatment and found a way to help herself through the tough days by creating kindness and wellness boxes for other cancer patients and staff at the Lilac Centre.
On March 1, she donated several of these hampers, complete with false eyelashes, silk turbans for hair care, eyebrow transfers, face masks, bath bombs and more with others containing stationery and wellness items for staff as well.
More importantly than that though, she ended her gift giving with a special moment for her and her family – by ringing the end of treatment bell at the Lilac Centre.
Rachel said: “It’s helped me so much putting these together and it was amazing giving the kindness boxes to staff and patients.
“I’ve been alongside them, I know how much they can have down days and knowing they at least will have these available to them now to help them makes me feel proud honestly.
“I got to finish it all off by ringing the end of treatment bell and holding my daughter in my arms with my family around me just meant the world to me.”
Rachel is set to undergo a mastectomy operation in April now her chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment is over and is looking forward to putting together more boxes in the future.
Victoria Kilshaw, manager at the Lilac Centre unit, added: “Rachel has been fabulous throughout her treatment, and it was fantastic to see her ring the bell.
“The kindness boxes that she has made for our staff and patients are amazing and so thoughtful. “They will definitely bring a smile to your face when you open them when having a tough day. Thank you, Rachel.”
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