Greenock woman received BEM in King's Birthday Honours

Pat Murray was included in the King’s Birthday Honours List and will be given a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to cancer support.

The 63-year-old, originally from Salford, created a Facebook group in 2010 to give grandparents of children being treated for cancer to offer an ‘outlet’ to discuss their thoughts or worries.

She did so after her grandson, Thomas Reynolds, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, at the age of three.

Pat with grandson Thomas (Image: Contributed)

Pat and daughter Rachel travelled to Jacksonville in Florida with Thomas, where he received proton therapy treatment.

She told the Tele: “While we were over there it was kind of touch and go.

“It was very difficult. She trying to be brave in front of me and I was trying to keep it together because if I broke down, it would make her feel bad.

“My daughter had other support from other parents through a support group.

“I wanted to speak to other grandparents, because they would understand what it’s like when your child’s child has a really serious illness.

Thomas will turn 18 next month (Image: Contributed)

“I looked and there was just nothing.”

Pat felt grandparents were sometimes ‘overlooked’ and that many were tasked with holding their family together after such a devastating diagnosis.

Soon after launching the Grandparents of Cancer Kids group on Facebook, she connected with an American woman whose grandson was born with liver cancer.

She added: “Surprisingly, she hadn’t found anything across America for grandparents.

“I chatted with her for a while and then a few more people joined.

“This was in 2010, now there’s almost a thousand members all over the world.

“I was just hoping there was a handful of people I could talk to and relate to - it just kind of grew and grew.

"I didn’t think I was doing anything out of the ordinary. It was helping me as well.

“Unfortunately, people are joining every day. It’s the group nobody wants to be in, but everyone is glad they’ve found it."

Having supported so many people over the years, Pat faced her own journey in 2020 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in the first week of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Pat said Thomas was her 'inspiration' after she was diagnosed with breast cancer (Image: Contributed)

She said: “I found it quite ironic after everything.

“I went to Edinburgh for radiotherapy and had to do that on my own. It was horrible. When you can’t have anybody with you, it’s tough.

“But Thomas was my inspiration – I thought if a three-year-old can do it, I’m sure I can.

Pat is now awaiting details on where and when she will receive her BEM, but says she plans to take Thomas and Rachel, both from Dunoon, along with her, as well as elder daughter Jennifer Perry.

She said: “Thomas is turning 18 next month.

“We’re a lot luckier than a lot of grandparents in that we’ve still got him.

“At one point we didn’t think he’d see next week.”

Those who feel they could benefit from joining the support group can do so at facebook.com.