A Richhill mother-of-three is actively channelling her efforts into raising awareness and fundraising for a local cancer charity – despite undergoing chemotherapy following her own shock diagnosis just three months ago.
Laura McRoberts wanted to raise enough money to cover the costs of a mammogram and donate that to Action Cancer but her mission has exceeded all expectations.
The Belfast-based charity offers routine screening through its ‘big bus’ service and relies heavily on funding to keep it on the road.
It is they who confirmed the news every woman fears when Laura went along to get checked after struggling to secure an appointment with her own GP.
Laura, who lives in Richhill with husband William and their children, six-year-old Mabel, Tommy (9) and Ruby (12), has been putting her talents as a craftswoman to good use in a bid to back Action Cancer’s cause.
And she bravely spoke to Armagh I this week to raise awareness of the ‘big bus’ which, she believes, many may not even know exists.
“If it saves another wee family going through what my wee family’s going through, by getting it caught sooner, it would mean the world of difference,” said Laura.
Now channelling her efforts into helping others – while facing a very real fight of her own – she recalled how her own journey began and how she was determined to give something back.
“I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in April and I’m currently going through chemotherapy,” said Laura.
“My cancer was actually found through the Action Cancer ‘Big Bus’. I’d had trouble getting a GP appointment, so I held on until I turned 40 in December because I knew then I could be seen on the Action Cancer bus.
“I’m not well enough to run a marathon or do any of those impressive things that people do, but I have a business called MamaDo Gifts. I would make replicas of people’s houses and wee things like that. So I thought, if it is something like that, instead of just asking people to donate, I could sell those and then give the proceeds to Action Cancer as a ‘thank-you’.
“I hoped that I would be able to sell enough to raise £120, because that’s how much it costs them to provide a free mammogram. But within about three hours, I had to stop taking orders and I think at the minute I’ve raised almost £1,400.
“It’s been a busy three weeks going through chemo and doing that, but I just wanted to do it and to raise awareness, because a lot of people didn’t know about that big bus. I was only 39 whenever I found lumps; it was just sort of some way to try and use my page and my journey to do something like that.”
Laura started her business online about eight years ago and has been actively working from home ever since.
During this very difficult time, it has served as a welcome distraction.
But when she revealed that she was planning to make and sell little houses to raise money for Action Cancer, the response was overwhelming.
“I find it quite therapeutic. I love it and I love being able to make things like that for people. I set it up whenever my second wee baby was small. I do a lot of Christian-based things on it, but I do handmade wooden houses, maybe like pubs and churches and old homes that people grew up in,” explained Laura.
“They would send me black and white photos; maybe it’s been demolished since, so I make a wee replica of how it looked then whenever they grew up in it. I love it and it’s kept going, amazingly.
“I wasn’t actually expecting so much of a response, to be honest, when I posted about what I was going to do. I’d only expected to make 17 but I’ve made way over 100 houses in the past few weeks.
“I’m not doing anymore at the minute. I will do them again at some stage, but when I’m well enough. I’m going through quite intense chemo at the minute. People have been very good. I couldn’t believe how supportive people were.”
Laura with husband William and children, Mabel, Tommy and Ruby.
Crafted with great detail and painstaking care, Laura admits that “a lot of work” is involved and she has included an added feature on each house to remind recipients of why she is doing what she does.
“I cut everything by hand – I own saws, I own everything – so they’re all made from scratch,” she added. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of hours, but as I say, it’s something that I can do here at home. At least people are getting something for it.
“They have a wee breast cancer ribbon on them and I’m just hoping that when people see them sitting in their houses it’s a wee reminder, especially for them, just to pray for houses affected by cancer, because there is so many and I didn’t think it would come to my door and it did.”
Laura believes that screening should be more readily available and a greater emphasis placed on cancer awareness.
She is also keen to encourage others to leave nothing to chance and act quickly if they have any concerns at all.
“I think the scary thing is that sometimes there’s no symptoms with it. I know I did have, but you hear there’s a lot of people and there’s no symptoms and it’s only by going for a mammogram that it’s ever picked up,” she said. “What Action Cancer does is a great service to avail of, but people maybe aren’t aware of it.
“They provide a free mammogram for women aged 40 plus, but to get one before that is very difficult, I think, even if you go to the GP. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get an appointment with my GP. They do have an emergency slot, but at the time I wouldn’t have known that it was an emergency and it wouldn’t really be classed as an emergency that way.
“With Action Cancer, they were very quick. I think a lot of people didn’t realise that you just refer yourself to Action Cancer and then you’re in and out again in a few minutes. It just surprised me how few people actually knew about it. They’re non-funded as well.
“There seems to be an awful lot of younger people now that you hear of with cancer and getting it early is definitely a big thing. Mine wasn’t caught very early, so it’s quite intense, the treatment, at the minute, but I am hoping I’m going to come through the other side of it.
The houses which Laura has made – complete with breast cancer ribbon – to raise funds for Action Cancer.
“I want my children – because I don’t know what things they are ever going to face in their life – to look back at this time and see that Mummy did something good with it and didn’t let it ruin life.”
It is that incredible postivity and zest for life – and a deep personal faith – which are keeping Laura and her family, who attend Vibe Church in Armagh, focussed for the days that lie ahead.
“I don’t feel like this is something great that I’ve done and I don’t want it to look like that; it’s more just to be raising awareness of it,” she added.
“I would hate for somebody else to say I didn’t know I could go there and then not get it caught early. I think a lot of people, when they hear the word cancer, even when I was telling my children about it, there’s a fear with that, isn’t there? I just hope people see that I’m still living and doing things.
“Definitely, my faith has a big part to play in it. That joy’s still there and, yes, we are trusting and have faith that it’ll be all right. That’s a very important thing to me and my family.
“We’ve been lost for words at all the love, kindness and support people have shown us. We are so thankful to everyone who is praying. We feel the power of prayer around us.
“I’m sort of halfway through chemotherapy at the minute. It’s a bit of a journey ahead now, but we’re just taking it as we go along, and we’re certainly not letting it steal the joy out of life. I’m a very positive person anyway. There’s still a lot of good in life and a lot of life to be lived.”
For more information on Action Cancer’s ‘big bus’, where it is visiting and how to book, visit here.
You can also see more examples of Laura’s work on her Facebook page MamaDo Gifts, while Newry and Armagh MLA Gareth Wilson has kindly agreed to accommodate houses which had been pre-ordered and crafted in aid of Action Cancer for collection at his constituency office in Richhill.
