My Story

The 'C' word is something none of us ever want to hear...whether it's affects your family or friends, or unimaginably yourself. I certainly never expected to be told I had it, but especially not at the age of 33, with a 1 year old at home and with so many lifelong plans and wishes to grow our family, travel the world, practice medicine and to grow old with my husband.

And having had cancer, I'm one of the lucky ones, it was found very early, and removed through a simple operation and other than some blood tests and a full body scan every few years, I don't need to have any other treatment; no chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 

But having said that I'm lucky, it's a strange thing to contemplate. When I was told what it was but that it was early and all gone, I cried happy tears and felt so lucky....for a day or two. But then the honest realisation did creep in...not that I wasn't incredibly fortunate and having my beautiful daughter had indirectly saved my life, but also that my life as I knew it had now changed forever.

Initially everyday, but now, as time has passed, less often, I have moments of fear that's it's going to come back or have spread. Every time I have one of my surveillance scans or blood tests, I get thrown right back to the diagnosis and to be quite honest, I'm a bit of an emotional mess! Not so much for me, but I just want to be here for my children, to watch them grow up, and I'm just not ready to leave my family yet. And that lingering fear is always in the back of my brain...even though I think I've done quite a good job of burying it. 

For anyone that is interested and still reading (apologies for the essay!), I wanted to share my story and am so happy to talk about it, I think it's really important. 

My experience of cancer actually started when I was pregnant with my first baby, my daughter, Tilly. In fact, she saved my life. I had no symptoms and if I hadn’t had her, I may not have known it was there until it was too late. During my first pregnancy, and at my 12 and 20 weeks scans, they noticed something that looked like a potential cyst on my ovary. These aren’t uncommon so they decided to observe it and after I had given birth to Tilly, I was referred for an up to date scan to get a clearer picture. This scan showed that the abnormality was actually my appendix which looked enlarged/dilated and I was referred to a surgeon. I went on to meet the surgeon a few months later who told me that, whilst exceptionally rare, these large appendixes can sometimes be cancerous. I went on, then quite quickly, to have urgent CT and MRI scans, both of which were inconclusive but still showing this enlarged and abnormal looking appendix. My appendix was removed safely a few months later and the histology confirmed that it was cancerous, in the form of a low grade mucinous neoplasm of the appendix; a rare cancer that usually affects people in their 60’s.  

Had I not had my baby girl it could have been a very different picture. If my appendix had burst with this, I could have developed a cancer called Pseudomyxoma which is very rare and often untreatable. Thankfully, my daughter came along at the right time and saved my life. Any baby is the most precious gift, but my little girl came to save me. 

I want to run the London Marathon for Cancer Research so that there are more people as lucky as me in the future, with their cancers being found and treated early; and so that fewer people have to live with the fear of cancer in their lives. And for all the patients I have, and will look after with cancer in the future too, I want to do it for you. And for my family; my parents, brothers, but especially my Mike, Tilly and Theo....you have all made me the best version of me; I want to make you proud and show you that you all saved me.

Thankyou so much for reading, and if you're able to, donating.

Soph x