WELCOME

Hi, however you found your way to my page, either through a common sharing of HPV cancer diagnosis, or knowing or caring for someone who has been diagnosed , in treatment, or post treatment I hope you find a little common ground and something to relate or even smile about. Sharing makes it less lonely and having cancer is a lonely place to be. Mandi x

The Cockwart Saga

78. Back home and hurting.

Hello from Mandi Valentine HQ Well I can't believe its 5 days since I got home from holidaying in Greece. But I am still suffering the after effects of such a long week doing far too much and being far too hot most of the time. But I managed it and that's the main thing! There were no late nights, no bars, no clubs, a gentle swim and lots of laying around the pool, a couple of trips with as little walking as possible. But even so, from the moment I got home I knew I was going

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Latest Stories

78. Back home and hurting.

Hello from Mandi Valentine HQ Well I can't believe its 5 days since I got home from holidaying in Greece. But I am still suffering the after effects of such a long week doing far too much and being far too hot most of the time. But I managed it and that's the main thing! There were no late nights, no bars, no clubs, a gentle swim and lots of laying around the pool, a couple of trips with as little walking as possible. But even so, from the moment I got home I knew I was going

19 hours ago3 min read

77. No longer Patient 27

super fast update but it needed reporting I went back to Addenbrookes yesterday, in secret, after being given an super fast follow up appointment to my PET Scan last Tuesday. Absolutely thrilled ( althoguh a little bit of a wobble when they told me it was him as I thought this means its bad) to be seen by the lovely Mr Amen of tonsillectomy fame. So in short.... I no longer have cancer...... Nose throat mouth all checked and cammed whilst he was at it. and totally clear PET s

Jul 21 min read

76. Back to the battleground.

This week saw me return to Addenbrookes. After the elation of not having bowel cancer last month, I now had to follow up the neck cancer treatment form Jan with another PET CT scan. The first one last year was at Norwich, right at the beginning of this journey, and almost 10 months ago. It was terrifying as I didn't know if I would be allergic to the dye etc like my uncle who reacted and actually had a stroke in the machine having the scan, and we were informed it could be a

Jun 284 min read

75. Ciao Bella

Well I missed my usual update and its been almost 2 weeks. Rome was exhausting, but I got to tick off a few things from my bucket list. Real Italian Gluten free pizza and pasta, eaten on a little table on the pavement outside a restaurant in the back streets of Rome, and stand in the centre of the Sistene chapel and stare up and see the creation of Adam in the flesh. I shed a few tears for that one. The Trevi fountain, lit up, but still swarming with people even at 10.30pm, a

Jun 153 min read

74. Given the all clear!

The hospital secretary rung on Tuesday, only 7 days since my colonoscopy and after a bit of confusion I got the news from the consultants nurse that my biopsies had all come back totally negative, not even pre cancerous so I had nothing to worry about. I am well and truly let off the hook in regard to cancer down below! I'm now waiting for Joanne at Addenbrookes to come back off holiday and ring to let me know when my PET scan can go ahead leaving enough healing time from the

May 312 min read

The Cockwart Saga is a journey of resilience, where every step forward is battle against myself as well as against cancer.

― The Cockwart Saga

Meet the Author

Welcome to my blog and I hope sharing the good days, the bad days, the screaming, and crying, the laughs and of course, the bad language help you understand this part of my life.

When I sat in that empty corridor on the 4th August 2025 staring at the deli ticket in my hand 'patient 27' I didn't know what was ahead of me.
I knew something wasn't right and had been sure it 'was' something for over a year, but like everyone you never think its going to be you, until it is you!
My first reaction was that I wouldn't even bother, and within 48 hours had booked and paid for my funeral.

I was ready to give in, after losing my mum finally from Frontal Lobe Dementia, and in a surreal un expected shock of an afternoon a week before, my beloved cat BOY, dying out of nowhere in my arms on our kitchen floor, I just felt like rolling over to the cosmic joker and holding up my hands and saying 'ok you win! I'll go quietly!'
But I haven't......
And here is where I tell my story... warts and all!

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