In July 2016 our lives were tuned upside
down by the devastating news that Vic had suspected ovarian cancer. During an
operation to remove the tumors the surgeon realised it was not ovarian cancer
but in fact cancer of the appendix or Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).

The cause of this disease is not known and
it can be very hard to diagnose. The main treatments for PMP are surgery and
chemotherapy. In December 2016 Vic had the “mother of all surgeries” a massive
operation to remove the significant tumors and various organs that were
infected. This was followed by 5 days of abdominal chemotherapy and weeks in
The Hampshire Clinic over in Basingstoke. Displaying true northern grit and
determination Vic progressed extremely well and grew from strength to strength
throughout the month of December. We were all overjoyed that she made it home
in time for Christmas! She has continued to progress very well and has been a
real inspiration to us all. Never did she loose faith, focus or determination
and we are now starting to get back to normal.

There is still a lot that is not know about
this rare disease and that is why I am raising money for the PMP survivors
charity.

Some of the functions of the Pseudomyxoma
Survivor charity are:

·      Research into this rare disease

·      working with other rare cancer and rare disease
organisations to advance awareness and policy in this area

·      offering practical and emotional advice on managing
symptoms and aspects of living with this rare disease

As a non-profit organisation, they completely
dependent on voluntary donations. They are too small to have offices or staff;
the charity is run entirely by volunteers. The patron is Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
Sean’s mother, Audrey Hepburn, passed away shortly after being diagnosed with
PMP.

I would personally like to extend my
heartfelt gratitude to Mr Brendan Moran and his amazing team at The Hampshire
Clinic for everything that they did to help Vic.