Emily Findlay's cancer journey, and her 'incredible' family and friends who rallied in hardest times

Press and Journal

3 days ago

Emily Findlay still remembers her teenage years in Orkney when it seemed that everybody across the island was helping her through her cancer journey.
After being diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 14, the youngster from Orphir was forced to endure years of gruelling treatment, but she has never had to do it alone.
Right from the outset, her family and friends were with her on every step of a marathon trek as she travelled to Aberdeen for treatment and eventually settled in the city.
Emily is now 29 and plans to get married to her partner, Mark, next September. In the intervening period, she has become one of the region's most inspirational characters.
She took part in Courage on the Catwalk for Friends of Anchor and worked assiduously for the Archie Foundation and Befriend a Child.
She has organised supercar days out for families who have either a child or parent with a chronic or terminal illness. And she even baked cookies to boost the charity coffers in the middle of lockdown.
Having witnessed the impact and importance of the third sector in her adopted city, Emily is now in charge of organising the Celebrate Aberdeen parade in August.
She insists that none of this would have happened without the support of her parents, Michelle and Clinton, and her little brother, Max. But that's only the start of her list.
There are also the myriad doctors, nurses and medical staff whose expertise was – and remains – invaluable in guiding her through the toughest days.
And the friends she made during her early life and after her relocation to Aberdeen.
Emily told me: 'I loved growing up in Orkney, it gave me such an incredible childhood.
'When I was younger, I was barely in the house at the weekends and during the school holidays, I was always out playing with friends.
'I also spent a lot of my childhood travelling around the outer islands, and spent a lot of summers in Westray, which I absolutely adored.
'The scenery, the beaches, the walks and the wildlife are amazing there.
'I especially loved watching the puffins on our after-dinner walks. The Orkney community is so incredible, they rallied around me and my family when I was unwell.
'When I relapsed for the first time, [local artist and businesswoman] Sheila Fleet decided she wanted to design a range of jewellery where a percentage of the profits would go to a fund to support me if I needed treatment abroad.
'It was incredible how well supported the collection was, and every teen/young woman in Orkney had a Daisy for Emily. It was really special.
'That collection is now called Daises at Dawn and has raised money for numerous charities. I still have friends in Orkney, they are all wonderful people, and I wish that I got to see them more.'
Emily is pragmatic about her health situation. It can be fragile and, in her case, there are no guarantees her illness will not return. Scans and tests are part of her existence.
Yet, as she maintains, there is no value in sitting around, waiting for bad news to arrive, as if you have prematurely checked into life's departure lounge.
And, as you might anticipate from this vivacious force of nature, she is offering 100% commitment to her task of saluting the city's voluntary organisations this summer.
She said: 'Celebrate Aberdeen [on August 23] means so much to me and our team.
'It's all about bringing our community together and shining a light on the amazing work done by third sector organisations and volunteers across the city.
'With everything getting more expensive and funding and corporate support harder to come by, it's more important than ever to support these organisations.
'The event gives them the opportunity to be celebrated, to feel the support of the crowds lining the streets, and be part of something truly special.
'Both the parade and the Celebrate Aberdeen awards remind us how important these organisations are to the people of Aberdeen – in fact, they are the heart of Aberdeen.
'I love it when charities work together and we have so many instances of cross organisational working, such as the Fairer Aberdeen Fund.
'It's amazing what we can achieve when we work together. That's what Celebrate Aberdeen is all about; people coming together, cheering each other on, and showing just how much we can achieve when we work as one.'
You wouldn't guess from meeting her that Emily has been seriously ill for half of her life. But when she embarks on a new challenge, she pours her heart and soul into it.
That's one of the reasons why she was honoured with a BEM when she was just 22 in 2018. As she told me: 'I have met so many amazing people down the years.'
And they mean the world to her.
She said: 'My family, my friends and my fiance are so important to me. Luckily, my mum and dad and my brother visit Aberdeen very regularly, so I see them often.
'My friends are the most incredible group of people, they have rallied around me during the hardest times, and I am so so grateful for them.
'My four bridesmaids – Ceilidh, Adele, Rachael and Breige – are just utterly amazing and I don't know what I would do without them.
'I met them all at different stages in my life, but they are all so special to me.
'My friends' children also mean the world to me, I love being fun Auntie Emily, our 'Auntie Chi Chi' as Rachael's daughter calls me.
'I can't put into words how special it is to be in their lives.
'Last but certainly not least is my fiance, Mark, he is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me and I can't wait to get married to him.
'But I am going to stop there before I get too gushy.'
Her music tastes are more Taylor Swift than Tin Pan Alley, so it's unlikely that Emily has any Bing Crosby CDs lurking in her collection.
Yet, whenever I talk to her, I'm reminded of one of the old White Christmas crooner's collaborations with The Andrews Sisters.
The lyrics run: 'You got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, And latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mr Inbetween.'
That is Emily Findlay in a nutshell.
Further information about Celebrate Aberdeen can be found at their website celebrate-aberdeen.org
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