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West Bromwich couple urge people with cancer symptoms to get checked

A couple whose lives have been blighted by cancer are urging people to get checked out if they suspect they have symptoms of the disease.

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Marjorie and Kenneth Davies from West Bromwich

Marjorie and Kenneth Davies, from West Bromwich, have both battled cancer and lost loved ones, but remain positive.

Mr Davies, 79, is currently living with prostate cancer, after overcoming the disease in his bowel and lungs, whilst Mrs Davies, 83, fought breast cancer in 1994.

The couple were both treated at Sandwell Hospital and have regularly raised money for cancer services through Your Trust Charity, the registered charity for the hospital.

Mrs Davies said: “I would urge people out there to seek help from their GP if they have any of the symptoms of cancer.

“The healthcare professionals are there to look after us, and they have always been there for my husband and I throughout our ordeal.

“The care we’ve received is second to none, and my husband is still receiving treatment. It is important that people remember cancer care is still going on throughout this pandemic.”

Mrs Davies watched her mother die in 1955 of cancer, followed by her father in 1988.

She added: "In 1994 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and thought ‘that’s it’. I said to my husband ‘if he is going to take me, he’s got a fight on his hands’.

“After my operation and a month of radiotherapy I returned to work within four months.

“All was going well until 2007, when my husband received a bowel screening test through the post. The result came back positive and within seven days he had undergone an operation.

“Four years later in 2011 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had chemotherapy and part of his right lung removed.”

Despite her husband’s prostate diagnosis in 2013, the couple remain strong.

Mrs Davies said: “We have fought this together and have given each other strength and the willpower to remain positive.

“The fantastic treatment and help we both received from the doctors and nurses at Sandwell Hospital and the Macmillan staff - everything was first class.

“We cannot stress enough to people who receive a bowel screen test through the post, please do it, it has saved my husband’s life.”

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