Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am a 43 year old mum of 4 and I was diagnosed with Stage IV Cholangiocarcinoma on December 29th 2015.

However my CC journey began in the Autumn of 2015 when I started getting a niggly shoulder pain that wouldn’t go away, my skin started to itch all over (and there was no rash and it was not helped with antihistamines) and I was tired 24/7 no matter how much sleep I was getting. I had had my son Charley in September 2014 so could put a lot of my symptoms down to normal post new baby stuff, and even when i went to the GP and told her I wasn’t ok and described what was happening to me, she gave me antidepressants and put my symptoms down to anxiety and stress.

Two weeks after I had been given those antidepressants, in November 2015, I fell very ill and was blue-lighted via ambulance to a local A & E department with a suspected gall stone attack. After an ultrasound it was believed that a gall stone had got trapped in my bile duct and the subsequent serious infection had backed up into my gall bladder and started to turn it septic, hence the excruciating pain I was in, the jaundice and the itching. I had an emergency ERCP and a metal and a plastic stent were put in place in my main bile duct and after 4 days on IV antibiotics in hospital, I was sent home with the promise that within 4 weeks I would be readmitted to have my gall bladder removed.

On December 16 2015 I received a phone call informing me of a cancellation and that if I could come in the following day i could be put on a list for the day surgery and removal of my gall bladder. The following day I went in at lunch time, saw the anaesthetist and sat waiting for the surgeon. When he arrived he examined me, asked me some questions and then said – “I am not prepared to do your op as your liver feels inflamed…it shouldn’t be…we need to find out why before we do any operation in that area.” So I was admitted for further tests and after 4 days of scans, an MRI and an ultrasound I was told they had found large mass in my liver and I needed to have a biopsy to find out what was going on. The biopsy was carried out the following week and by December 29th we were told to come in to see the consultant who had refused to do the original op. His words were: “I’m sorry Mrs Cornish. You have inoperable cancer. It is throughout your liver, your biliary system and your abdominal lining. You need to prepare yourself for the worst. Less than 12 months…”

In January 2016 I began an 8 cycle Gemcitabine/Cysplatin chemo combo treatment, under the care of Dr Harpreet Wasan, to hopefully shrink the tumours and to keep me here for as long as possible. The side effects have been a pain – I lost my hair in March and am constantly tired but apart from that I have been very lucky. My last liver bloods showed that my liver function is normal…which considering how ill I am supposed to be is really amazing.  In October 2016 after 2 months off treatment the CT scan showed a progression of the cancer which has spread to new areas in my liver. I am now on a new chemo regime in the hope that the disease will stabilise again and give me a bit more time to enjoy my life with those I love, friends and family.

Life has taken a twist for my family, a curve ball has been thrown that we would never have dreamed would happen to us, and we are having to readjust where we are going and what we are as a family as a result. Our ‘normal’ has had to change in so many huge huge ways. But every day I wake up is a blessing. Every moment I am alive and breathing, living and loving is celebrated. Cholangiocarcinoma is like an unwelcome house guest right now – unfortunately she appears to be here to stay for a while, so I need to come to terms with her presence, the mess she has brought into our lives and make the best of it… for the moment until she decides to move out.

- See more at: http://ammf.org.uk/topic/my-cc-story/#sthash.fWz4u10p.dpuf

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.