An Erskine woman has opened up about her battle with cancer in the hope it will encourage others affected by the disease to seek support.

Thomasina Bright, known to her friends as Ina, was left devastated when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November 2019.

She underwent surgery three months later and has since been given vital help by the Renfrewshire Macmillan Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ) service.

Provided by Renfrewshire Council, in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, it offers advice on everything from financial worries to anxiety and depression.

“After my operation, I had a kind of brain fog,” said 80-year-old Ina. “I was just glad I was still here but some things were getting difficult.

“I got in touch with the ICJ service and, straight away, Karen Spencer was such a huge help to me. When things got too much for me, I could call Karen and know she’d be there to help.

“I was struggling to cook for myself, I was low on energy and would end up eating tinned soup and boiled eggs and things like that. Karen sorted me out with meals on wheels, which was so helpful and meant I could eat properly.

“I also needed assistance with home care, helping me shower and things like that. I was a bit worried about losing my balance when getting out the shower. Karen sorted all that and now I have some lovely people from Clyde Home Care that come and give me a hand, which makes a big difference to my day-to-day life.

“Karen helped me stay calm because I could talk through what I needed support with. I have an amazing family – a daughter, sons and grandchildren who help me in lots of ways – but, sometimes, having someone outside of your family circle can be really good because they can see things from a different point of view and they’re able to help you in a way that a family member or friend just can’t.”

Ina became concerned about her health after she had some bleeding but the problem was initially diagnosed as haemorrhoids.

After further symptoms, she alerted the health services one day when she was feeling faint and was taken to hospital.

Further tests revealed she had bowel cancer and surgery took place in February last year, just before lockdown was imposed.

“I feel so fortunate that I got my surgery before lockdown,” she said. “I know people have been waiting and had things cancelled, which must be very hard.

“My care has been fantastic from the start.”

Ina is now recovering well and says that, as a born-again Christian, her faith has played a big part in helping her to cope with cancer and the Covid pandemic.

“Prior to lockdown, I had been going to a Pentecostal church for 30 years,” she added.

“Having a strong faith has taught me to take each day as it comes and always try and think ‘tomorrow will be a good day.’

“When lockdown is finally over, the thing I look forward to most is going to church on a Sunday again.”

Ina’s message to others affected by cancer is to reach out to services such as ICJ.

“People don’t like talking about cancer,” she said. “It’s something that people tend to keep on the down-low.

“I’ve worked with all sorts of different kinds of people and one thing I’ve noticed is that cancer just doesn’t come up in conversation, even though it’s something many people deal with in their lives.

“We often keep it private. I think that’s why having someone on the end of the phone whose job is to understand cancer, how it affects you and what can be done to help is so valuable.

“I know I can call Karen anytime and she always has a good idea for how to make things a bit better.”