40 miles for Nat’s Big 4-0

Sooooo! Here we are!

 

I turn 40 at the beginning of July and I cannot explain to you how much this means and what a milestone this is after being diagnosed with Advanced and Inoperable cancer at the age of 36! It’s a milestone I honestly didn’t think I’d reach!

 

As a stage 4 patient I am SO aware of how lucky I am to still be here and I am so very grateful for every single day, even the tough ones!

 

I would literally not be here without the Complex Cancer Clinic at St Mark’s Hospital who took on my complicated cancer and gave me the chance of more life. Special shout out to Mr Jenkins (what a babe/hero) who lead my complex Pelvic Exenteration Surgery, I know myself and my loved ones are forever grateful to Mr J and his team for saving my life!

I was referred to St Marks in my second year of cancer. After the first year of cancer treatment; chemo and 29 days of radiation at the same time followed by more chemo, my cancer started growing back pretty rapidly and I was referred to St Marks to have a 12 hr surgery to remove my ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, vagina, rectum, anus, left pelvic sidewall, left piriformis, a section of my spine and the cancer had also spread to my left ureter (tube from kidney to bladder) so a surgeon removed the cancer and reimplanted the remaining healthy ureter back into my bladder. This all happened in the height of the pandemic.

The Complex Cancer Clinic at St Marks are truly very special people and give a last chance to people with advanced/recurrent/complicated cancer. SO! To mark reaching my 40th birthday I am hoping to raise some money for St Marks Hospital Foundation who help so many people like me, on their last chance of life, and so many others with complex bowel disease.

 

I am going to swim 40 miles over the coming weeks (approx 1288 lengths of my local pool) in honour of reaching 40 and would love you to sponsor me! With the physical challenges I’m left with from surgery this will be a lot but I’m up for the challenge!

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me. YOU also mean so much to me too. Thank you for cheering me on over the past few years of cancer. So thankful for you.

 

BIG LOVE ❤️

 

Natalie.

xxxx

 

More information about St Mark's Hospital Foundation: St Mark's Hospital Foundation helps to fund innovative research that is undertaken at St Mark's Hospital, a specialist in the treatment of bowel disease.