Scottish mother says ``whole world collapsed'' after cancer recurred ``violently'' 15 years after initial diagnosis.
Lisa Adam, 43, was just 26 when she was first diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2005.It was a "huge shock" for a woman who felt she was "invincible" when she was younger. The head teacher at Largs, North Ayrshire underwent a radical hysterectomy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy to treat her symptoms, and after a few months all was clear.
15 years later in June 2020, Lisa noticed that she was feeling very unwell after attending her child's birthday party. She is sent to the hospital for a scan, which reveals the devastating news that she has gynecologic cancer.
Radiation therapy removed bones in Lisa's pelvis and hips. A crack left in her throat left her with difficulty walking and unable to keep up with her 5-year-old son, whom she and her husband, Dave, 50, adopted in April 2019.
Her return to work seems unlikely, and Lisa says it will be a "miracle" if her illness is completely cured with her current treatment.
Lisa told the record:
"The first round was completely blue. I was very young compared to others who were being treated on the ward at the same time. This disease does not discriminate." 48}
"When the treatment was over, my doctor said, 'Good luck. See you again in three months.' I felt as if my life had been put in a carry-on bag.
"The main problem was my fertility. I had no plans to have children, but you expect it to happen someday.
Lisa had just returned from adoption leave at Craigmarlock School in Port Glasgow and said, "Suddenly." was broken. Her cancer has returned. Her son was due in nursery school and life was back to normal until suddenly "the madness set in." He did not begin treatment until January 2016. Although the case was complicated by his preexisting conditions, he soon began receiving chemotherapy once weekly and radiation therapy five times weekly.
But in October, the tube that carries Lisa's urine from her bladder to the toilet was damaged, meaning urine. She was leaking into her body.Her whole body went into toxic shock and she was severely swollen.
Lisa was taken to the Beatson Cancer Center.She was diagnosed with an infection in Glasgow. I received a blood transfusion for treatment. She was fitted with two nephrostomy bags, but doctors decided the surgery was too risky.
She continued: "When the doctor called me, I thought, oh my god, it's happening again. As soon as I got home, my husband told me Glancing at his face, he asked what was wrong.
"He thought I had been in a car accident. I just said, the cancer is back and it's me." That's when the whole world began to fall apart.When I told him that, it became very real.
"It's hard walking down Main Street with a nephrostomy bag. I don't want people to see me first, so I dress carefully, but I don't hide it.This is the state of my body."
Lisa is currently undergoing immunotherapy twice a week at Beatson, which she describes as a "last chance salon." She is also waiting for the results of her MRI to see how stable her cancer is.
In the meantime, Lisa will bravely walk the West End of Glasgow on August 28 as she walks 6.5 miles to raise money for the Beatson Cancer Charity.
Lisa's family has strong ties to the Center. Lisa's brother and her father helped build the center, and Lisa's cousin was a hospital nurse. Her dad too she was diagnosed with a blood disorder in 2013 and was treated at Beatson.
The woman will be joining Dave and her son and, although it will be an "emotional" day for her, she is ready to take on the "massive challenge," she said. says.
She added:
"I am now with I'm walking, I'm limping and slower than the average person my age, so I don't know how it will go, but we'll see how much it hurts.
Also My brother has promised me to double my donation, so that's a big motivation."
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