A single mum has promised she will fight for her life for her children's sake after being diagnosed with cancer at just 29.
Abbie Turner, from Blackburn, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer which rapidly spread to her lymph nodes and spine. She is now hoping to help others by spreading awareness of any unusual symptoms that some may ignore, the Mirror reports.
Since February, Abbie has undergone six rounds of chemo which have resulted in 90 per cent of her hair falling out, experiencing early menopause, and possibly face a double mastectomy in the future. “Being in menopause at my age is really tough,” she said.
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“The hot flushes are horrendous; one minute you can feel the sweat pouring out of your skin, the next you’re freezing cold again. I've got achy bones and joints - every time I get a headache I'm paranoid the cancer is in my brain.
"I was offered egg-freezing in case I want more children in future, but by the time they caught the cancer in my breast it was already stage 4. I’ve already got two babies who need me - they couldn’t cope without their mum.”
Speaking of her five-year-old daughter and how she coped with the diagnosis, Abbie said: "She thought I’d caught cancer from when she was sick over Christmas. I gave her a huge cuddle and reassured her you couldn’t catch cancer like you can with germs.”
Abbie's problems started when she noticed a stinging and burning pain in her right armpit. Initially, her GP dismissed it as a gym injury.
However, the next month, she felt a pea-sized lump moving in her breast, she insisted on being seen again, and this time was referred to the breast clinic for a scan.
“The whole atmosphere of the room changed after the scan,” she recalls. “Suddenly they were talking to themselves, not to me. The doctor said I needed an immediate biopsy as they were worried it was cancerous.”
Shortly before Christmas, it was discovered Abbie had a malignant tumour and it had already spread into her lymph nodes and spine. “I was terrified - I thought I was going to faint,” says Abbie.
“The one tiny bit of hope I was holding onto was that the doctors said cancer that spreads to the bones is more treatable than if it’s in an organ.”
The mum-of-two underwent chemo every three weeks which resulted in painful ulcers. While the cancer responded well to the treatment and the tumours have disappeared, Abbie will need to take lifelong 'oral chemo' and undergo three-monthly scans.
She also needs to keep an eye on her diet due to the oestrogen-positive nature of the cancer. “Soya and soy can trigger an oestrogen response, so I can’t eat any,” she explains.
Abbie is taking comfort in the fact she’s still here, able to be a mum to her children. “I’m planning on throwing a ‘pink party’ to celebrate life - and I’m definitely going to eat pink cupcakes,” she laughs.
“I want to do something for all the people who supported me.” She said she is "so proud" of her kids.
"I’ve been spoiling them a bit, and now they keep expecting presents,” she smiles. “They’re both back in my bed, they want to be with me all the time. I’m really proud of them. I’m just so glad they are so young and hopefully won’t remember me being sick."
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