Thank you very much for visiting my Race for Life sponsorship page. You can now donate online making it quick, easy and most importantly it's totally secure!

Events like Race for Life are vital in funding Cancer Research UK's life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

Like many people I know somebody that has had a scare or has had to suffer this awful disease. It was because of this that I decided to start running in Race for Life, but never did I imagine 12 months ago that this year I would be writing my page with my own personal experience....

Many of you will already know my story....In September 2011 I went into Hereford Hospital for a routine operation and unfortunately during this procedure the surgeon discovered an unexpected mass. After initial investigations/tests I was diagnosed with a gynaecological tumour, but due to the rarity and aggressive nature of my condition I was referred to the Gynaecological Oncology Team at Cheltenham Hospital for further investigations/treatment.

It was during this round of investigations that my Consultant found that the mass was much larger than was first anticipated, and because of the rarity of my condition they were not able to confirm if the tumour contained malignant cells. At this point I was informed that I would have to undergo major surgery to extract the tumour in full and that due to the area the tumour was in I was also put in the care of two additional Consultants.

In December 2011 I went back to Cheltenham where I underwent seven hours of surgery to extract the tumour in full. After what felt like an eternity the results came back and it was confirmed that the tumour was not a cancer and that they believed they had been able to extract it in full. The overwhelming feeling of relief at this point was undescribable!

Although my tumour was not a cancer it had done a considerable amount of damage in the area which is was growing and I am still undergoing treatment in order to make a full recovery. My journey back to full health is now going into its ninth month but the finish line is now in sight with one more operation to go in September of this year.

I never could've imagined the physical and mental toll that something like this takes out of not only the person suffering but for the family/friends who also experience every bit of pain, worry and upset with you. What I didn't realise before this experience is how damaging a tumour can be whether it is benign/malignant. I feel very lucky that my condition was able to be treated with surgery alone. I have met many wonderful people in the last few months that after surgery have had to then go through chemo/radio and I have nothing but absolute admiration for how they cope.

More than ever I hope that a cure can be found, and for this reason your donation would be very gratefully received.

Thank you very much for your support!

Kirst

xxx

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