A mother of two says she will die if she does not seek private healthcare which reveals she has a rare and aggressive cancer.
Emma Halliwell, 43, went from waiting for answers on suspected thyroid problems to an emergency hysterectomy in a matter of weeks. Brutal rounds of chemotherapy followed, including 14-hour sessions where medics battled leiomyosarcoma – a form of sarcoma.
Unlike other forms of cancer, sarcoma affects the soft tissues and is therefore more difficult to treat and spreads easily. Hoping to finish last year’s treatment, he will be having chemotherapy again this week after more nodules were found in his lungs.
READ MORE:
Emma, ​​who qualified to be an English teacher before her diagnosis, told LancsLive that funding for sarcoma cancer research is much lower than other forms in the UK. His eldest daughter, Morgan, is now planning nights of live music and entertainment in an effort to raise money for Sarcoma UK.
The Oswaldtwistle woman said she first started having pain problems in 2017 and was initially told it might be medication or age related. He said: “Things got worse so I went to see another doctor who sent me for some scans”. An MRI later revealed what was thought to be a 20×20 cm thyroid which Emma described as “the size of a ball in my uterus”.
Soon after, Emma starts a new job but on her first day is forced to leave due to severe pain and bleeding. He would soon be diagnosed with sepsis and spend six days in the hospital on IVs.
After seeing a second doctor and being told about the long wait for a scan, Emma’s father pays her to see a private doctor who disapproves of the diagnosis and says a hysterectomy is needed instead. The pain she feels on her first day on the job turns it into emergency surgery and tests prove it is cancer, though Emma isn’t immediately told.
She said: “I started feeling better and was told I would know if it was anything bad within six weeks. Seventeen weeks later, I made an appointment. He called me and said ‘this sarcoma’ and ‘that sarcoma” . I said, ‘can I stop you, what are you talking about?’.”
Only then was it explained that the problem was definitely not thyroid related and instead cancerous. He was also told about a visible nodule in his lung that the doctors wanted to look into.
She said: “I’m a single mom, I have two kids so it’s not an easy thing to do when you’re also trying to be everything to your kids.”
After more scans and referrals, Emma ends up on brutal chemotherapy after being told of a leiomyosarcoma diagnosis. “The term he uses is ‘limiting life'”, Emma explained, “which is not very pleasant to hear.” That treatment started in February 2022 and finished in June but he has had to have more surgeries since then.
This includes removing the tumor and operating on each lung on separate occasions. “I had to stop afterward to be told there was a regrowth in my stomach and another nodule in my right lung so I had to go back on chemo this week.
“This is a very aggressive cancer and not many people have long lives after being diagnosed with sarcoma cancer. There’s a lot to deal with and a lot to pay attention to. Right now, I find the silver lining is that it’s in the same place and it’s not spreading.
“It was hard, really hard. My oldest was out of college knowing what I was going through, my youngest was out of high school. It was hard for all of us. My parents were very helpful during it all.”
Morgan, 19, is currently studying musical theater in London and decided to use the experience to help raise awareness and funds for Sarcoma UK – a charity dedicated to treating this type of cancer. Emma said: “I’m very open with my kids and we talk about everything. We talk about the research side and how limited it is, especially in the UK compared to the US. It’s much more well known there.”
“He said I wanted to do something big to raise money. I wanted to do a charity evening, a concert where I could get my friends involved, other local artists involved.”
The event will take place on Saturday, July 15 at Mount Carmel High School. Performers from London and a band from Darwen were among the queues, while local businesses have donated a prize draw which will take place in the evening and tickets are now available to purchase.
Emma said: “It’s going to be an amazing night. I want something positive for this. We’re just asking for people to come and support us because these lads have worked so hard to make it all right.
“I hear so many people say it’s thyroid, that’s all I think is mine. I would have died if I didn’t go personally and see another gynecologist she referred because the waiting time would be so long.
“It could be someone else in my position and it could be worse. People really need to push their health. I just want more awareness of this cancer because it is becoming more and more common and is almost always mistaken for thyroid first.”
To purchase tickets for the benefit concert, contact Emma on 07815711016 or email Emma.s34@outlook.com
#Single #mother #dies #thyroid #turns #cancer
