‘Where’s Granny? She’s up in the sky. Well if I grow a pair of wings, can I fly up to see her?’

My mother’s illness is intrinsically linked to my own ascent into motherhood. My first child – Luke – was the first grandchild and I had a beautiful first year; learning to become a mother, becoming closer to my own mother and witnessing the wonderful relationship that is grandparent and grandchild. A month before Luke turned one, we found out that my mother had breast cancer. A month after he turned one, we found out it...