Help My Daughter Heal Fully After Rare Cancer Battle

Hi, my name is Kerry, and I’m reaching out with a mother’s heartfelt plea for support. My 23 year-old daughter has been through a devastating and rare cancer journey that no young woman should ever have to face.

In 2022, just as I was completing my own treatment for breast cancer, my daughter, then 21 and studying at the University of East Anglia, discovered a lump on her chin. She went to her GP, who initially believed it was a lipoma and said it could be removed cosmetically. Because it was considered “cosmetic,” she was placed on an NHS waiting list, with no urgency.

Over that next year, the lump grew noticeably and began to deeply affect her mental health. Friends and fellow students commented on it, and she began to lose confidence. As a family, we decided we couldn’t wait any longer. My sister and I agreed to gift her private surgery for her birthday, something we hoped would help her move on with her life. (Sarah, I still owe you my half—I haven’t forgotten!)

In late 2022, she underwent private surgery to remove the lump. Thankfully, the doctor had the foresight to test it further, concerned about how close it was to the bone. Given my recent cancer diagnosis, we pushed to get it tested and thank God we did.

A month later, we received the shocking diagnosis: Papillary Intralymphatic Angioendothelioma—a Dabska Tumour—a very rare form of cancer.

From that moment, everything changed.

Under the care of Prof. Moncrief, she underwent slow Mohs surgery in May 2024. It was extensive, her entire chin was removed, leaving the bone exposed for a month. Watching her endure that was truly heartbreaking.

In June 2024, she underwent an 8.5-hour surgery at Norfolk and Norwich university Hospital to fill the hole left behind. Tissue and an artery were taken from her thigh in what’s known as a “free flap” procedure. Although the surgery saved her life, it caused femoral nerve palsy from over-stretching, leaving her in a wheelchair. A new trauma. Another recovery.

The free flap on her chin was large and extremely visible. For a young woman, this was devastating. She had to leave university and move back home for rehabilitation. The 6-hour round trips for medical appointments became our new normal.

She lost confidence, wouldn’t go out alone, and we often faced cruel stares and comments from strangers- including one man who said it “looked like a big blister” to her face completely unprompted. But despite the darkness, she stayed strong, thanks to her best friends, loving family, and an incredible local charity where she began volunteering three days a week. Working in arts and crafts with disabled adults gave her a sense of purpose and healing.

As her healing progressed, something unexpected and deeply distressing happened: the free flap began growing hair as it was taken from her thigh, and she started feeling goosebumps on her chin in the cold. To watch my daughter break down again over this was unbearable. I promised her then: when she had her final reconstructive surgery, we would get her laser hair removal. Permanently.

That time has come.

Just 12 days ago, July 2025, she had her final reconstructive surgery at St George’s. The surgeons did an amazing job, and she looks absolutely incredible (see photos). But we still have one final step to help her move forward: remove the unwanted hair that serves as a painful reminder of what she’s been through.

I’m asking for your help to make this happen. Every small donation will go directly towards giving her back the confidence she so rightly deserves, something she has fought so hard for.

If you can spare even a little, it would mean the world to us.

Thank you so much for reading her story.

With all my heart,

Kerry xxxx