Pick Me Up! 28-Oct-2021

With only five months between us, me and my cousin Harriet, 33, are like sisters. We are totally inseparable! But, at the beginning of the year, Harriet’s bowel habits had changed. After multiple GP visits and finally being referred for an emergency colonoscopy this May, Harriet had the most devastating diagnosis. ‘It’s stage four bowel cancer’ she told me, sobbing into my shoulder. We spent all night crying and laughing after the adrenaline had kicked in. But, the next day depression quickly caught up with Harriet. I made it my mission to become an expert on everything bowel cancer. I frantically Googled statistics and emersed myself in reading stories. The Bowel Cancer UK website was an incredible help. With that, I thought I would reach out. Charlie, from Bowel Cancer…

GOOD DEED OF THE WEEK Help end world hunger with Heinz this autumn by purchasing one of their limited-edition cans. They’re hoping to help the 1.7 million children who are currently at risk of starting the day hungry. For every one limited-edition can sold, Heinz will donate a meal to their partner Magic Breakfast who will fill the rumbling tummies of hungry youngsters with nutritious breakfasts in over 1,000 partnered schools. Let’s make an effort together to help the one in eight children who start their day hungry. The cans to keep an eye out for have ‘for every child’ written on them in your local Tesco, and they cost just 85p. GET IN TOUCH Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number…

My sons, Rory, nine, and Fraser, four, ready to go out trick-or-treating. Natasha Douglas, Rainham. Here is a photograph of myself with my seven-month-old baby shark Vince who was in for a treat on his first Halloween. Gemma Davies, Tuffley. What a proud mum my sister Carol looks when she attended the Pass Out Parade of her eldest son Samuel recently. Tina Vowles, Gloucester. STAR LETTER Here’s my little hedgehog Hugh Huffner celebrating Hog-oween. Krissie Cope, Manchester My son Riley who is eight wants to follow in his grandad’s footsteps and join the Navy. He loves boats. Nina Steer, Norwich If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a…

Checking myself over in the mirror, butterflies swirled in my stomach. Brushing my hair and popping on my lipstick, I wanted to look my best. I was off to meet the man I’d been messaging online, and I was so excited. John and I had been chatting on Plenty of Fish for around six months, and we’d finally agreed to meet up. I’d had my fair share of bad relationships, so I wanted to take it slow this time. That’s why I’d waited so long before agreeing to meet him. I can’t wait to see you, John text me before our date. And so, happy with my appearance, I hopped in the car and drove to Birmingham in November 2019. John and I had agreed to meet for an afternoon…

In a bid to get him to leave, I started to search nearby hotels and even offered to pay for a taxi. Only, as he slumped on the sofa, I could tell he had no plans of leaving. ‘You need to go,’ I said, trying to stand up for myself. Suddenly, in that moment, his eyes turned red with anger, and he ran at me. Grabbing me by my neck, he lifted me off the floor and threw me onto the cold, hard tiles. As he pinned me to the ground, I couldn’t breathe. ‘Please, let me go,’ I begged him, but he wasn’t giving up. Only, as he lifted his arm for a moment, I managed to scramble to my feet and pelted up the stairs. Running into the…

Walking into the bar, I couldn’t wait for the latest episode to start. My local was showcasing The Walking Dead and it was right up my street. I was a regular at the bar in Portland, Oregon, USA, and it was there where I met Brian, now 52, way back in 2006. He’d been working there for a while, and we would regularly chat about the latest episode. We seemed to have a mutual love of horror, but for years he was simply my friendly bartender. However, in 2018, when the timing was right, things took a romantic turn. We discovered that not only did we both have a love of horror, but Japanese horror specifically. Not to mention all the other creepy stuff, including the paranormal. Brian had seen…