g n i r i p s n I women Oa Hackett Rachel Gilbert talks to another local inspirational woman.
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Oa Hackett, the experience of the pandemic has shown more than ever the importance of kindness towards oneself and others. Expressing kindness and care for others is something Oa lives by every day in her personal and professional life. Oa is the founder of littlelifts, a charity that provides chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients with a box of treats and helpful tools to support them during treatment. The charity works with six hospitals within the East of England. Last year they partnered with Make 2nds Count to also provide the boxes to secondary breast cancer patients, living across the UK. The inspiration for littlelifts came from personal experience. In 2014, Oa was enjoying a holiday when she found a lump in her breast. Although she tried to ignore it, her now husband, Greg, pushed her to visit the doctor. Shortly after, Oa found herself diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. “I was instantly thrown into a whirlwind of appointments and scans to make sure it hadn’t spread,” Oa said. Six weeks later, she began chemo. “It was really overwhelming — I felt really alone, isolated and angry because I felt quite well, but I knew I had to get sick to get better.” Oa went through six cycles of chemotherapy. She had to give up working at cycle number four when the treatment become particularly tough. Throughout her cancer experience, her family and friends rallied round, giving her puzzle books, 30
illustrated lolly recipes, lolly moulds and many other little gifts to help ease the side effects of treatment. It was this kindness expressed to Oa that inspired her to create littlelifts. Since 2017 littlelifts has given out more than 3,700 boxes packed with practical products to alleviate the side-effects of treatment as well as mood-boosting treats. Now the charity sends out more than 3,000 boxes a year to people undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, including those treated at hospitals in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Cancer has taught me life is too short to not do the things you want to do. The boxes support women in a myriad of ways: “Feedback from women with young children tell us that the box can be useful to explain what is happening to Mum,” Oa said. The feedback received is overwhelmingly positive: “one woman told us receiving a box was like being wrapped in the most caring of arms, many box-recipients returning to volunteer”.
The effort began at Oa’s kitchen table, eventually growing to a, “small but mighty,” team of three, supported by an army of volunteers. “littlelifts has been a huge part of my recovery,” Oa said. Oa’s goal is for every patient undergoing treatment in the UK to receive a box. littlelifts has recently launched a national fund to begin working towards this goal. Raising awareness about the importance of checking our breasts, and knowing what is normal for us is something Oa champions every
