A MUM-of-two has spoken of how her poetry writing helped her to cope with her cancer treatment last year.

Edwina Thompson, who lives in Leigh, has written around 25 poems about her experiences and people she met when she was in hospital having treatment at The Christie in Wigan.

She has called the collection A Warrior’s Words: Poems Of Cancer.

A Facebook group has been set up to view the poems.

The 48-year-old was diagnosed with triple negative cancer last January and had 15 rounds of chemotherapy.

She was given the news that she is in remission two weeks ago.

Edwina said: “My poetry helped me massively when I was in hospital.

“It gave me a purpose to write about people I met and what I was going through.

“I have written about the day I told my daughters I had cancer and how I had to go for a coffee to prepare myself to tell them about it.

“I did another one about losing my hair and how I felt it took my identity away at the time.

“I followed that up with a poem about when my hair started to grow back.

“I have shared my poems on Facebook and the reactions to them have been great.

“I have had messages from as far as America who said they like them because they are raw, brutal and honest and tell cancer as it is.

“Some people have even asked me to write personal poems about events that have happened in their lives.”

Edwina, who is a yoga teacher, is launching classes for people who have suffered from diseases such as cancer which will be more gentle than normal sessions.

The classes, which will be called Yoga for Rising Warriors, will be launched at Lotus Flower Yoga and Wellbeing Centre on Lord Street in Leigh at 6.30pm on Friday.

Edwina added: “I first got involved in yoga around seven years ago after suffering from severe depression when I was a primary school teacher.

“I have also written a poem about that as well.

“Yoga really helped me get through that period in my life.”

To book a yoga class contact Edwina on 07791 229475.