LIFESAVING treatment for a cancer survivor has given one 54-year-old a new lease of life to change her career from cookery to care.

Former chef Cassie Williamson, from Croft, near Darlington, received a devastating diagnosis of stage three breast cancer following a visit to her GP in her fifties.

Ms Williamson was referred to the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton where an aggressive tumour was successfully removed.

The life changing moment forced Ms Williamson to reassess her life choices and she decided at 54 to swap her work as a chef to give back to the Darlington community.

Ms Williamson said: “I was quite stoic about the whole thing really. But it was probably the lowest point in my life.

“But what I did know was that I didn’t want to go back to being a chef.

“I wanted to do something that would make a difference, to help make people feel better both inside and out.”

She added: “When you are faced with your own mortality you realise that you only have one life and you can’t spend it in a job that isn’t totally fulfilling.

“The care I received during my treatment was wonderful and I knew then that I wanted to be in a position to be able to give something back to other people who needed help.”

However, with no nursing qualifications under her belt, Ms Williamson could not secure a job in a nursing home without experience in care.

Ms Williamson said: “I went to an open day at the Friarage Hospital and they recommended that I did a Level 3 course in health care.

“I found myself driving past Darlington College and signing up for the course – and it’s the best thing I ever did.”

As part of her full-time college work, Ms Williamson studied a range of conditions, including mental health and dementia, while also working in Darlington care homes.

Ms Williamson has since secured a job in Rosemary Court, off Blackton Road, Darlington, after completing her Level 3 diploma in clinical health care support at Darlington College.

She added: “It took something as momentous as cancer to make me make the change but I’m so glad I did.

“Now I get to spend every day helping people and doing something that I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Darlington College confirmed that Ms Williamson “excelled” in all areas of her course.