I love this time of year, that spring brings new life and seeing the buds starting to open and all the new green in the garden. The days are getting longer, that's what I like. The bulbs are coming through and you can see it's on its way so you know it's going to come soon, the spring. All the seasons are good in different ways but spring is new life to me.

You’ve got to be positive and hopeful really because you can always sit and dwell on it. Life goes on. 

My mum is 89 and her attitude is just to get on with it, and she reckons I’m stronger than her! I do feel stronger now because I just feel whatever scans come back, whatever results come back, I can’t change it, it is what it is. So I just get on with it because you can’t change it, you’ve just got to say thank you for another nice day. 

I know I’ve got SinglePoint if I need to - and I have used it - which is really helpful to have, because in the middle of the night when you think oh what do I do, they can give me some guidance. 

Because I was finding it a bit tough with my mum when she was told there was nothing else that could be done, I started to go and see Lindy from family support at St Helena, so she’s been there right from the start when I thought I’d got it too. The counselling from Lindy has helped a lot. It just gave me that little bit of support I needed at the time. Lindy usually rings every week or so. She’s so lovely, I was lucky to get her. From the support about dealing with my mum at that time, just to have an outlet to talk to someone else apart from family, to be able to talk to someone who's one step back who can see it as an outsider rather than someone who's living with it and dealing with that at the time.

Terry [support chaplain] rings me too and we have a little laugh and a chat. He’s very easy going and friendly and hearing from Terry is nice because he is so upbeat and so jokey; it's nice to have a chat with him every now and again, to feel normal and that life goes on outside. He's very good, very supportive in that way. He just lets you rabbit on, talk about what you want, general everyday life.

I know if I pick the phone up to St Helena, they’re there. There's someone always there for you and if you need anybody regardless of day or night, pick the phone up, talk to them, that’s what they’re there for. 

I am positive because if I wasn’t, what would be the point? Life goes on, it doesn’t stop because you have this horrible illness. 

I try to pace life. A little achievement is better than no achievement, just do little things rather than big things. I think people can expect themselves to do too much. If it gets warm enough I will go in the back garden. I will just sit in a chair with lots of blankets on and just smell the air and listen to the birds. Life is good.

With our thanks to Jan’s husband Paul.

This story may not be published elsewhere without express permission from St Helena Hospice.