I am used to speaking in front of people and doing presentations, neither faze me, but last night was a challenge.
Sarcoma UK had asked if I would be a patient representative and speak about sarcoma at a fundraiser in Manchester. To speak about the illness which has hijacked my life for almost four years….
Let me set the scene: Over 100 people in a room celebrating their loved ones special birthday, laughing and joking, drinks flowing, music playing….you get the picture. I got nervous thinking that no one would want to interrupt their partying to listen to me. But was I wrong. You could hear a pin drop! I drank a glass of prosecco and took centre stage….
The speech lasted a matter of minutes but felt like a life time. I spoke about Sarcoma UK and their three aims:
1 – support – not only patients but their family and friends
2 – awareness – less than 1% of cancers diagnosed are sarcomas so this is key
3 – research – to find a cure
I shared a little bit about myself so that they knew I was a patient and that I was speaking from experience.
Afterwards I was plagued with panic. Did I ramble on? Could people hear me? Did I get across Sarcoma UKs aims? Did I bore people?
I needn’t have worried, as people came to talk to me and gave me great feedback.
The people there were so generous and have raised lots of money for Sarcoma UK. I’d like to thank them as Sarcoma UK is a wonderful charity.
Me afterwards
me afterwards
Chapter 2 
Emma this week the New York Times did a big Magazine piece- several articles about individuals beating cancer with all the new drugs. Like tailored to each individual. Probably you could google it, if interested.
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Emma… you were fantastic.. and if I am honest I would have liked to hear more. I know how difficult it must be to share your own experiances infront of such a large crowd. You contributed so much to a fabulous evening. Thank you. Hayley
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Thanks so much Hayley. Very kind. X
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Emma thank you for taking time to talk at my surprise birthday party, you were brilliant and my children, husband, family and friends have raised £2372 for Sarcoma UK. Alison
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Thanks for writing Alison. That’s a wonderful amount!!! I’ll update in my next blog piece 🙂
I hope you enjoyed the rest of your night xx
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