I was meant to be dead at 40 – but I’m still here, living in cancer limbo | Lee Rammelt

My body no longer has signs of terminal disease, yet I could drop dead in days. All I can do is live in the moment

In June 2011 I was diagnosed with uterine cancer at the age of 34. An adenocarcinoma of about 16mm was growing through my uterus, into my vagina. Stage 2b. Prognosis: 95% survival rate. I was considered lucky, as my cancer chose to grow downward – causing spotting so it could be easily detected – instead of inward, where it would have stayed hidden, probably until it was too late.

Fast forward three months. A first exploratory surgery to remove the lymph nodes surrounding the uterus leads to the discovery of 17 microscopic tumours. Many more rogue cells of unknown origin eventually result in a second diagnosis: perivascular epithelioid cell tumour (PEComa). This very rare sarcoma subtype turns the optimistic prognosis on its head.

I went through a period of rage which people around me mistook for fighting spirit

Related: Cancer patients need more than survival | Fay Schopen

Continue reading... October 30, 2017 at 04:30PM