A mum from Sunderland has been told she has just two years to live after she was diagnosed with incurable cancer - but said she will keep fighting.
After feeling ill for a couple of weeks, Tracy Lambert, 50, from Humbledon Hill was diagnosed with cancer in September 2021, with doctors finding a 7cm tumour in her bowel. Sadly after tests, doctors told Tracy that her cancer had spread and she started her first dose of chemotherapy which made her "really poorly".
The mum also underwent radiotherapy but Tracy was sadly told her cancer is incurable and she was given between 18 and 24 months left to live. Despite the heartbreaking news, Tracy said she is staying positive and said she has a "lot of fight in her".
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She explained: "I wasn't sure what was going on at first but the NHS is amazing and they were really quick with it. I had MRI scans and PET scans and they found the cancer was in all of my liver.
"It was also in my left lung and lymph nodes. It was strange because I felt okay in myself. I was going to the hospital and people couldn't believe what I was going through and how I was still going to work.
"I was told I was only expected to live for between 18 months and two years. I asked for a time scale because I didn't want to be dropped with: 'You have three months to live' and have no time to prepare. They don't know me as a person, I'm very strong, I have a high pain threshold and I'm just going to keep going. There is a lot of fight in me and I'm going to keep fighting the fight."
Tracy said the news was heartbreaking for her family including her husband John Paul, son Leighton, 17, and step-son Jay 24, but said she has "no other option" than to stay positive. Despite going through chemotherapy, Tracy is still working as an office manager and is trying to keep things normal.
She said: "I want things to be as normal as possible that's why I'm still going to work. It's been a whirlwind, I don't feel like this is happening to me sometimes. If you thought about it too long it can feel really bleak so I try not to think about it.
"We talked about it as a family when I got the 18 months to two-year timescale. My son had this blank look on his face and I said to him: 'It's okay to cry', and he just burst into uncontrollable tears which I think was just a release of pressure because he was trying to stay strong for me.
"Cancer is such an awful, invasive thing not just for you but for your family and friends. When they saw me poorly during the first strong chemo I had, they were just heartbroken because of how poorly I looked and because I had lost a lot of weight. If they see that I'm in a better place and positive then that helps them.
"I think I have to be positive, there is no other option. If you spend lots of time thinking about it, it eats away at you and days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. Time goes so quickly especially when you're older so I try not to think about the bad things. We've got a lot of holidays booked and lots of things we want to do next year so if I can do it amazing and if not there's nothing I can do about it."
Tracy said her family and friends have been "amazing" and said it's "comforting" to know how much people care. She said: "My family and friends have just been amazing and so supportive. I've always been a good host, everybody has been round to my house and you don't really realise how much people appreciate things like that. One of the biggest things is realising I am liked as a person, it's really comforting."
She also said her three-year-old granddaughter Mollie keeps her going and described her as her "little tonic" that boosts her up. Tracy said: "I've been surrounded by boys all my life so to have this little girl run around the house is amazing. When I'm feeling a bit tired she makes me get up and do stuff with her because I want to do it. She's beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, she's like my little tonic."
And now Tracy wants to thank those that have helped her throughout her cancer battle. Along with her friend Emma Stewart, Tracy and friends took on the Derwent Walk on May 7 to help raise money for the Phoenix Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital which helps care for Tracy while she has her treatment.
So far, they have raised an incredible £3,255 with Tracy hoping to raise as much as possible to help make things easier for the nurses. She said: "A lot of people don't realise that the Phoenix Unit is self-funded and it's absolutely amazing. The nurses are great not just with the medical side of things but they counsel a lot of people too as it's a very emotional time and sometimes things can just overwhelm you. I'm absolutely overwhelmed at how much we've raised so far."
If you would like to donate to the Go Fund Me page, you can do so here.
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