Diary of courage

Nov 1 2007 by Lorna Prichard, Cynon Valley Leader

A DEVOTED husband’s diary charting his wife’s 11-month battle with cancer is set to make waves through the medical world.

Mother-of-four Linda O’Reilly, of Newtown, Mountain Ash, discovered she was suffering from lung cancer when she went to see a doctor about shoulder pain three years ago.

Devoted husband Jim, now aged 65, decided to keep a diary on Linda’s behalf.

Three times a day, Jim would jot down his wife’s blood pressure, temperature and other factual details as she underwent various drug treatments.

Grandfather-of-seven Mr O’Reilly said: “It was all for Linda.

“It took the worry of keeping track of everything away from her.”

After she sadly lost her battle in July 2005, aged 63, consultants at Velindre Hospital called Mr O’Reilly in.

They asked him for permission to use the seven-volume diary at a conference for cancer researchers and specialists in Swansea.

Entitled Patient’s Journey, Mr O’Reilly’s diary was presented by lung cancer specialist Barbara Moore as a poignant testament to Linda’s treatment.

She read out word-for-word the final difficult pages of the diary detailing Linda’s final day, which Jim wrote the day after his wife died – because he felt he owed it to her to finish the diary.

“By the time the talk finished there wasn’t a dry eye in the hall,” Mr Reilly said.

“It was then I realised how powerful it was if it could touch people who deal with cancer day by day.”

It is now hoped the diary will be used as a teaching tool on medical courses and in hospitals across the country.

“Linda would have been delighted that something so positive could come from what she went through,” Mr Reilly added.