“Our families are going to have the most amazing day”

Stephanie’s Story

My story goes back to March 2014 when I was diagnosed with rectal cancer. I was 33, married to Steve with 2 children, James aged 8 and Emma aged 6. I was airline cabin crew, traveling the world having the time of my life. I sought help after struggling with the most horrific pain in my back passage that I could no longer deal with despite living daily on painkillers. I struggled to sit down comfortably, I could not sleep, eat, and bled every time I went to the toilet. It turned out I had a tumour the size of a grapefruit in my rectum. This was inoperable and so needed chemo-radiotherapy treatment to shrink the tumour down to an operable size. Shortly after the diagnosis I had a colostomy bag fitted. Initially this upset me more than my diagnosis as I worried how would I live my life with a bag?  I soon got my head around the notion and moved on with the surgery and treatment. Later that year I underwent surgery to have the nicely shrunken tumour and my rectum removed. I got the all-clear and no further treatment was needed. I returned to my job flying around the world and having as much fun with my lovely family as I could.

January 2016 and a routine scan showed signs the cancer was regrowing in the same area. I had a course of chemo and immunotherapy that brought me out in the unsightliest rash. Initially this really bothered me as it came out during February half term holidays whilst we were away, and it made me extremely self-conscious. As well as looking awful it was very sore and uncomfortable. I’d also put on weight from all the steroids and I felt like I wanted to hide away. With some help from my oncologist who prescribed a course of medication and put me in touch with a team of skincare specialists we got on top of the rash which helped my confidence. It was at the same time I saw an advert in the paper for Maggie’s on the Runway 2016. Initially with my love of aviation it was the “catwalk under Concorde” that grabbed my attention but after reading about the Maggie’s centres I knew it was something I wanted to be involved in. I secretly applied and didn’t tell anyone until I knew for definite I was successful and going to be on the catwalk. MOTR 2016 was just what I needed to help me through that year. The event was one of the most amazing days of my life. It brought my family closer together and created memories that we will take with us wherever we go. Having my hair and makeup professionally done and being on stage wearing my beautiful outfit with Rick was just amazing and gave me a huge buzz. The memories helped me through the next few difficult months. I had to have a total pelvic exenteration which is major life changing surgery where all organs are removed from the pelvis. I ended up with another bag; a urostomy, as my bladder was removed so I am affectionately known as a “double bagger”. I had further chemotherapy once I had recovered from the surgery and was once again given the all-clear.

2017 and 2018 were brilliant. I got back to work flying, despite being a “double bagger” and regained my health and fitness. I was in the best shape I’d been for a long time and felt amazing. We travelled as a family and had as much fun as was possible.

January 2019 and yet again a routine scan showed the cancer was growing back in what was left of my pelvis. I started chemotherapy again but after a few months side effects were taking their toll and it wasn’t having much of an effect. My oncologist was leading a trial and I was lucky to be offered a place. Unfortunately, the trial didn’t work for me. My tumour grew and it caused problems with my thyroid gland. I had a little break from treatment at this point as I was struggling with some of the side effects and was generally worn down by everything. Looking for alternative treatments my oncologist referred me to have Cyberknife radiotherapy, a specialist targeted radiotherapy. I had to be treated at the Royal Marsden hospital near London as it was only available there. I had five 45 minute sessions across a week. It was painfree and easy to get through. After that I didn’t have any further treatment. Just scans every 3 months to monitor the effect of the Cyberknife.

All was well until July 2020 when a scan showed an abnormal mass in my groin. It wasn’t confirmed to be cancer yet my team were unsure what it was. The mass remained present on further scans but my team weren’t too concerned.

In February 2021 after being unwell for several weeks, it was confirmed the abnormal mass was an abscess and I had an infection in my groin. This was due to the Cyberknife radiotherapy having damaged my small bowel and a fistula had developed. My bowels had been leaking via the fistula into my groin. I was admitted for IV antibiotics and the abscess draining. After 2 weeks I went home, but was readmitted a few weeks later due to reinfection. This time it was decided I needed surgery on my small bowel to detach the fistula and prevent any further leaks. The abscess was incised and drained. This was left as an open wound in my leg so it could heal from the inside out. After another 28 days in hospital I went home. Nurses come every other day to dress my open wound. After a few weeks of it not healing and pain in my groin again it was confirmed that the infection had actually moved into my bones and why the abscess isn't healing. After months of oral antibiotics at home I now need IV antibiotics. I have had a Hickman line fitted and hope treatment will be at home and not in hospital.

This year has been the hardest of the seven years I have been having treatment. It's not just cancer and the treatment that patients are affected by. So many patients are affected by the side effects of the treatment and things going wrong, which often has a greater impact on people’s lives than the treatment. When I heard about Maggie's on the Runway 2021 I knew I needed to take part to help lift my mood, give me a focus and a bit of confidence which I've lost this year. Being on Wynn’s “Veterans catwalk” is going to be amazing. It's lovely to be back with a fun-loving bunch of people that understand your situation and support one another. These reasons are why I suggested MOTR21 to my Uncle, Nigel, as he is battling oesophagus cancer and has had a difficult time with his diagnosis and treatment. It will bring him out of his comfort zone, allow him to meet similar people and give him that drive, focus and positivity that we all often lose when fighting cancer. Our families are going to have the most amazing day whilst we all raise vital funds for the Maggie’s centre.

Nigel’s Story

My story began in March 2020 when I had a fall. This resulted in pains when swallowing. After visiting the doctor and a further 6/7 weeks I was referred to Airedale hospital for scans. By the end of June 2020 I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. This was a huge shock and although I was 70 years old I still felt I had lots of my life to live. I started my treatment at St James in Leeds in august and for 5 weeks had daily radiotherapy and once weekly chemotherapy. During my last week of treatment I was admitted to hospital for a feeding tube. 3 weeks later I returned home and continued to be tube fed until early December.

Just as I was starting to feel better and going out again the pain returned. A scan in December showed the cancer had spread to my lungs. Although the oesophageal cancer had decreased by 30% which gave me hope that the treatment I had received was working.

In Jan 2021 I started chemotherapy again. This time only once every 3 weeks and tablets at home. I managed this chemotherapy well although I did have some bad days. By June 2021 a further scan showed only slight growth in the lungs.

Now my decision was have a break from treatment or start another round of a different chemotherapy. I have chosen to have a break and spend some time with my family over summer without having to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy.

My plan now is to be re scanned and start chemotherapy early September.

I want to be part of Maggie's on the runway as it has been a huge part of my Nieces life who has fought cancer for over 7 years. Maggie's has helped support both her and her family. And now we are both fighting cancer together I would like to walk down the catwalk and support her too.