Half a century after they worked together at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, two nurses have been reunited "by fate, perhaps" as they undergo treatment for secondary breast cancer.
On International Women's Day, the Maggie's Newcastle cancer support centre is celebrating the heartwarming reunion, which saw June McDonald and Dorothy MacMoran meet for the first time in decades. Both women worked in the RVI in the late 1960s.
Both women are being supported through their treatment by the Maggie's Centre, which is situated in the grounds of the city's Freeman Hospital. After Dorothy was diagnosed, she was "a little bit apprehensive", but centre head Karen Verrill knew exactly who to introduce her to - though she had no idea that the two woman knew each other.
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Dorothy said: "I don't think our paths would have crossed, but I think they had to. Karen just said to me, having known I had been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer - and I was a little bit apprehensive - she said you know I have a lady in the other room there who you might like to talk to. She came back and I watched her bring this lady.
"She brought June towards me and it was unreal. She said: 'Dorothy, this is June. June this is Dorothy.' And I thought - June, June McDonald, I worked with you in the late 60s in the RVI!"
June continued: "You said you were Dorothy Reynolds and I knew straight away who you were!"
Both women were full of praise for the Maggie's Centre, the women's support group they are part of, and Karen's work looking after them and those going through similar situations. Dorothy said: "Karen is marvellous. She matches people up to help people and is a wonderful person in this job. She stood back in amazement, she had brought us together again after all this time. It was wonderful. anyhow."
The pair of them wonder that "it must have been something" to bring them together again after all this time, and Dorothy mused: "Fate perhaps? I don't know. It was wonderful anyhow."
Both nurses also paid tribute to the wider support from Maggie's. June said: "When you first get diagnosed, it has a devastating effect. You think: 'this is it, I've got cancer, I'm going.' And then you come somewhere like Maggie's, meet so many wonderful people just like yourselves and hear their stories."
She said just chatting about how you are managing through a cancer diagnosis, and swapping tips about how to cope, had been remarkable. June added: "It makes you feel better, it's anything that helps you think: 'well that's there's hope for me yet.'"
Dorothy chimed in: "And when I got secondaries [secondary cancers], I thought well - 'that's the end of the line for me'. Until I came to Maggie's and I put my foot through this door on a Friday morning. The empathy and support here straight away made me feel at home.
"With coming to Maggie's, I can now face what I have to get on with. It won't be normality like I knew in the past, but I will have to make a new normal, I am a much older lady now, but I am not ready for the scrapheap.
"The camaraderie is fabulous. You don't sit in the corner by yourself. You just dot around."
Karen Verrill, from Maggie's said: "So many lovely friendships have developed at Maggie’s over the years but there’s something extra-special about old friends reunited. Both June and Dorothy are part of our secondary breast cancer group, and know they can call in anytime for a cuppa and a chat with one of our cancer support specialists.
"Our daily drop-in is for anyone affected by cancer. All cancer types, and family and friends too. You can simply walk in to speak with an expert confidentially about any worries or concerns. This could be emotional support or help with practical issues such as managing side effects from treatments or understanding your diagnosis."
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