Eleanor’s Story

I was born in 1958, the only child of Gibby & Rena Brown and was brought up in Larkhall, Lanarkshire where I attended primary & secondary school.

When I was a child, my dad drove a Co-op Grocers van and I was encouraged to go with him and help. My job involved collecting the shopping lists & taking the shopping back, once my dad had filled the bag, to the customers’ homes, many of whom were elderly and/or disabled, so going to the van was impossible. This meant they still had contact with the outside world and I got a lot of satisfaction from doing this.   

In later years, dad changed his job and became a cash & carry manager and again, I was lucky enough to be given the chance of helping out at the various branches he worked at, as it was a great work experience for which I was very grateful. 

While working in Glasgow for my dad, I was given the chance of going for an interview at McKellar Watt in Shettleston, Glasgow who were looking for an office junior. The interview went well and I got the job, which lasted eight years.

David and I moved down to Auchencairn forty years ago, to run the garage with my father & mother in law. A number of years later, David and I took it on for ourselves and we still repair everything from lawnmowers to cars & motorhomes. We have a son who lives in Ayr.

My hobbies are varied and I’ve liked cars since I was a child attending race circuits, various car rallies and classic car shows, showing my own classic car. I also enjoy reading, tapestry and puzzles and going away in our caravan. I love travelling at home and abroad.   

My husband David’s cancer journey started in October 2021. For the next few months it was a roller coaster of appointments & tests at various hospitals. We spoke to various specialists at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and subsequently decided that Prostatectomy (removal) was the best option for David. 

While David had his surgery, a fellow Prostate Partner took time out of her day to spend it with me. With some trepidation in April 2022 I attended the inaugural Prostate Partners meeting but I needn’t have worried. I left the meeting knowing that I wasn’t on my own and there were others I could talk to.

At the meetings we talk about everything, not just Prostate problems. The Partners group has been invaluable to me as I had various questions and these were answered, as someone else there had been in the same situation as me.

I look forward to the monthly meetings and have made friendships that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. In between the monthly meetings we have coffee catch-ups and in December 2023 the Partners had their inaugural Christmas Lunch at Gardenwise, where we all had a great time.