Maureen Pearce, 51 from Newport was diagnosed with breast and bowel cancer two years ago.

I first started to come to the Day Hospice in March. When you are diagnosed you go through it all like a dream, then you realise its real and you have to do everything you can. It’s so hard to accept that you can’t work and support yourself, you have to accept others’ help, which I found really hard to do.

My prognosis is now good, and you realise there are people who aren’t as fortunate as you. You realise you are lucky and you can help and support them.

The doctors here are specialists and have so much experience that they have an answer to every question. You think that you are the only one in the world going through it but you realise here that others have the same symptoms, and you know you’re not alone.

I wasn’t going to come to the Hospice as I thought I’m too young, I believed it was a place for old people, but I have made some great friends. When you go through this you don’t think you have any friends, but friends at the Hospice are like relatives, they can relate to everything you are going through. I don’t want to sound morbid, but I think that whatever time left I have, I want to enjoy it and live it to the full. The loneliness is gone. I’m laughing, I forgot how to laugh and now I can even laugh at myself.