Two remarkable women, one incredible fight for survival

Sarah Swindells has set up a crowd funding page to help her fund her last chance to beat cancer

CANCER’S deadly roulette has given Shaw woman Sarah Swindells just one shot left.

Two years ago Sarah had just landed her dream job as a psychiatric nurse and had everything to live for. Six weeks later the 43 year old was told she had stage four skin cancer - and her only chance of survival was a life-changing, invasive, nine-hour operation to remove the tumour.

A large section of her bowel was removed, she had a full hysterectomy and major reconstructive surgery to her pelvic area.

Months later she learned the disease had spread to her liver. Chemotherapy failed to shrink the tumours so she was forced to endure a more aggressive treatment which led to complications.

Dogged by devastating disappointment and fear, Sarah thought the cruel killer couldn’t throw anything else at her, but she was wrong. Following more failed chemotherapy, a scan revealed the cancer was now in her lungs. Last week she learned more treatment was unlikely to make a difference.

But not one to be beaten, Sarah had one last trick to outwit her disease. Drawing on the support of Melanoma UK - based in Shaw - she heard about a cutting edge treatment - tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes - which uses the patient’s own tumour to grow cells which are then reintroduced to re-programme the immune system and fight the cancer.

The American treatment is only available privately and costs £70,000, but she and her family, friends and colleagues have launched a massive fund-raising appeal for her last chance.

Sarah, who lives with her partner John Pogson in Trent Road, said despite the heart-wrenching knockbacks and fear, she remains determined not to give in.

“I can’t put into words how I felt when I was told,” Sarah said. “I wasn’t prepared at all for the shock. I was so frightened, it debilitated me for days.

“One minute you’re this person with no cares in the world complaining about having to get up for work in the morning, the next your life has changed forever. It’s a constant fear. I want to be me again but I know I never will be.

“Thankfully through counselling I’ve had to think differently and concentrate on the here and now and not dwell on what might be. I always bounce back. It takes me a couple of days but I always get there.”

Time is now of the essence for Sarah, so much so her consultant is keen to get the process underway as soon as possible.

Last week, with the help of Gill Nuttall, founder and key-worker for Melanoma UK, they launched a crowd-funding bid on the You Caring website which has already raised over £4,500. Sarah’s colleagues at Pennine Care Mental Health Trust have thrown themselves into fundraising, as has her community in Shaw.

A day after hearing of her plight, neighbours had a whipround and raised £150 - and while she was speakng to me her local pharmacy sent her a £250 donation. There are collection buckets in her local shops on Grampian Way.

“My colleagues have been absolutely fantastic and were planning things straight away,” said Sarah.

Strength

“Since launching the You Caring page it’s gone absolutely mad. I can’t thank people enough.”

Sarah says she’s drawn a lot of strength from two amazing organisations based right here in Oldham.

Amanda Stokes, from MacMillan gynaecology at Oldham Hospital, and Melanoma UK’s Gill Nuttall have been invaluable, she said.

“Amanda and the team have been absolutely fantastic,” she said. “I only found out about Melanoma UK through Googling and I couldn’t believe when I found out Gill lived about five minutes away. She has been a massive font of knowledge and support for me. Without her I wouldn’t have known about the treatment.”

To help Sarah reach her target, donate at www.youcaring.com/sarah-swindells-371851.

You can find more details on fundraising activities by following Sarah on Twitter @sarahsizzler.



As well as concentrating on her fight to survive, Sarah is keen to spread the dangers of sun-tanning..

Her parents met in Zambia and she lived her early life in Ghana and Singapore. On returning to the UK her father set up a sunbed business in Wilmslow and she used them a lot.

“This is an opportunity for me to warn people about the dangers of tanning and using a sun bed,” said Sarah. “What scares me is people I know still go on them despite seeing what has happened to me.”

See next item - the story of cancer victim Carrie Grime