EVE’S CANCER STORY


positive attitude ensured she had a good rapport with her communities and some of the more challenging individuals on her beat. After seven years Eve moved to a dream role in Counter Terrorism, a challenging and hugely rewarding part of policing that Eve embraced with the vigour with which she has embraced everything in life. Eve was working in a dream role, getting on with living her best life.


In 2020, as with all curve balls, an unexpected diagnosis in December was a bolt out of the blue. What Eve had suspected may have been symptoms of menopause were diagnosed to be Stage 4 Goblet Cell Cancer, an extremely rare (it affects 1 person in 2 million) and terminal cancer. “The doctors told me that there was not much they could do as I was Stage Four and that I had six to 12 months to live. I was just in shock.” Once enough time had


passed to process the news and come to terms with what her life now held, Eve made the decision not to mope around and feel sorry for herself. She made a bucket list of things she wanted to do and set about getting on with life. Two months after the bombshell, Eve was up and fighting back as she registered for the February Run 56 miles Cancer Research challenge. Some days she walked, other days she ran but she got up every day, cancer be damned, and completed the challenge. This single event alone raised over £13,000. Soon her reputation as Goblet Cell Girl was established, a Facebook page and Instagram account were launched, and a support network and Goblet Cell Girl community organically grew around her. Perhaps some of the inspiration and strength that surrounded Eve, combined with her own strength and character, were what inspired her to keep pushing, keep busy and give back to those who’d helped her. Inspired by a chance meeting with


another cancer patient, Eve started to create cancer care packages for others about to start chemotherapy treatment for the first time. Eve had learnt that different treatments all had differing side effects that required different treatments. Hand warmers, sun cream and hand creams, herbal teas and other


things that she knew had helped her through her chemo, were collected and passed on to those in need. Eve has also collected for the nurses on the ward. Her charity work and fundraising has not stopped since. Eve has now raised over £45,000 with charity bingo events, car boots, raffles, drag queen nights and an annual Goblet Cell Charity Ball. Her total raised is constantly growing. She has exceeded all medical expectations, she has travelled to 12 countries, fulfilling her bucket list and even went to Glastonbury whilst undergoing chemo. Her strength of character, grit, and generosity have been her driving force throughout all of this, and she was even chosen to carry the Queen’s baton at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Eve’s inner strength is plain to see in


all her charity work, fundraising and her determination to spend as much time with her family as possible. It is what


not have had the financial security and confidence to continue her independent lifestyle as much as she has. The safety net of PFEW support was not something that Eve knew about but it proved vital in making a terrible situation easier to deal with. Eve’s experience within policing following her diagnosis has been a story of great individuals: her Inspector and two Chief Constables have been tremendously supportive, as was Pete Land. However, the structure and HR requirements proved challenging and, at times, Eve felt that there was an unnecessary lack of coordinated thinking between departments which led to burdensome bureaucracy. Perhaps the lesson here is that there


“Two months after the bombshell diagnosis, Eve was up and fighting back as she


registered for the February Run 56 miles Cancer Research challenge”


has powered her through her 20-year career as a police officer too. There aren’t any easy roles in policing, and Counter Terrorism is perhaps one of the more challenging career paths, but it is one that Eve made a success and which she enjoyed.


As a member of the policing family, Eve was at pains to celebrate certain colleagues in the policing community who helped her through her first tough days. On hearing the news of her illness, before cancer was confirmed, her Inspector, Janice Pearson, told her to take sick leave whilst waiting for the full diagnosis. Once the terminal diagnosis came, Janice told Eve to take full sick leave and not return to work. Janice has continued to be the supportive colleague you would absolutely wish for. Janice ensured that all admin relating to Eve’s rolling sick leave was sent directly to her so that Eve would not be bothered. Were it not for Pete Land (now retired), Eve’s local PFEW rep, who helped her complete all the necessary paperwork, Eve would have been unaware of the health, medical insurance, and benefits that come with PFEW membership. Without this assistance, Eve would


need to be mechanisms which can prevent the bureaucratic build-up of paperwork in cases such as Eve’s. An HR department will be aware of the reasons for a medical sign-off and should be able to ensure the necessary paperwork is completed without it impacting the officer concerned. Medical diagnosis and


treatment are private matters which we all, under normal circumstances,


keep to ourselves, but Eve’s generosity of spirit, her drive to help others and her hope that a better prognosis can be achieved for future generations have spurred her to share her story in a very public way. Her courage is an inspiration to us all, it teaches us that we can choose how we react and how we behave, even in the most unfair of circumstances. Eve’s force is still supporting her, she is still serving and does not want to retire but accepts that she will most likely die even before the paperwork is completed. Eve has a daughter and a young


grandson. She is keen to spend every moment possible with her family enjoying the journey she has left. She has more charity events planned, including a charity ball in November this year, which she is very keen to make - it will mark two years beyond her initial life expectancy prognosis.


You can follow and support Eve here: Instagram: @gobletcellgirl Twitter @bemoreeve_1 Facebook: ‘Goblet cell girl and supporters’ www.fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/ unite/eve-lauder


51 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2023


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