A MUM-of-two has retold her shocking cancer ordeal in which she underwent a ten-hour operation to remove NINE organs.
Lucy Payne, 37, had one of the most invasive and rare operations ever carried out in the UK, known in medical circles as “the mother of all surgeries”.
Lucy said: “When surgeons told me all the organs they would remove to save my life, I broke down in tears.
“They were going to take out everything I could survive without. It was tough to hear and hard to imagine how you could survive it.
“But I so desperately wanted rid of the cancer inside of me, I knew I had no other option. I had to get through it for the sake of my family.”
Lucy is speaking out in support of Cancer Research UK and Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign, which aims to raise vital funds to sped up progress in life-saving cancer research.
She was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in November 2020, ten months after giving birth to her second daugther, Eadie.
But her symptoms had started almost a year prior, during her pregnancy.
Lucy had been suffering stomach pains and extreme fatigue while expecting Eadie during 2019 ─ but medics put it down to the pregnancy.
Lucy, of Wells, Somerset, who is married to Stephen, 40, a transport planner, said: “I was really tired and suffered a lot of aches and pains.
“I kept seeing my midwife but she said it was just pregnancy. I had blood tests to check my iron levels but no one could see anything wrong.”
Eadie was born healthy and well weighing 7Ib 10oz.
But six months after giving birth, Lucy saw her GP when severe pain under her ribs hadn’t gone away.
Her tummy looked bloated and she was getting pain in her pelvis.
Lucy was referred for an ultrasound which revealed ovarian cysts, polyps on her uterus and kidney stones.
After an ultrasound, the polyps were removed and tests revealed they were benign.
At 36, doctors felt Lucy was too young to have cancer. She was booked in for routine scans to monitor the cysts and a CT scan for the kidney stones.
She said: “It was during that scan in October 2020 that the urologist noticed something which was previously missed. I was sent for a full chest and abdomen CT scan.
“A few days later they rang me and said I had to go in and to take someone with me.
“That was the first time I realised something was seriously wrong.
“My best friend came as my husband was at home with my daughter who had been sent home from school to self-isolate.
“When I got to hospital they told me it was cancer of the appendix.
“Initially I thought ‘That’s ok’, they could take that out. But the consultant explained the cancer had spread through my whole abdomen.”
Lucy, who is mum to Jessica, five, and Eadie, 22 months, said: “My whole world came crashing down then.
“I didn’t know if I was going to survive and I had two young girls.
“I had a massive panic attack at the hospital. I’d never suspected cancer until that day.”
After Lucy’s diagnosis, in November 2020, doctors revealed she would need cytoreductive surgery, a high-risk operation which would remove nearly every organ she could survive without.
Her appendix, spleen, part of her diaphragm, gallbladder, peritoneum, ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes and omentum – a fatty tissue that surrounds the intestines – were all removed.
This would be followed by hot chemotherapy – when chemo drugs heated to 42 degrees were pumped into her abdomen for 90 minutes.
Lucy was referred to The BMI Hampshire Clinic, Basingstoke, where world leaders in appendix cancer would perform the operation.
Lucy, who runs a performance arts academy, said: “It was several operations in one and took ten hours in all.
“The hot chemotherapy kills the cancer cells they can’t see. By this stage, I wasn’t scared. I desperately wanted the cancer out so I knew I’d do whatever it takes.”
When Lucy came round, surgeons revealed the operation had been a success.
Around 90 per cent of the cancer had been removed, leaving just 10 per cent in the lining of her lung.
The rest will be removed in a second operation next year when she is recovered.
Lucy said: “Because of Covid I wasn’t allowed visitors. I was in intensive care four days and in hospital two weeks.
“Eadie was too young to understand why mummy wasn’t home but Jessie really missed me. She knows mummy had a bad tummy and had to go to hospital.
“I wasn’t even alowed out of the building for fresh air. It was like being in prison.
“They wouldn’t release me until I could eat again and even then all I could manage was a packet of crisps. It took months to learn to eat again.
“It was tough at home. I was pretty much bed bound I couldn’t do anything and that was the most frustrating time for me.
“When you have kids, you don’t want them to see you upset so I tried to put on a brave face.
“I had two more round of hot chemo whilst in hospital and that made me feel horrendous for weeks after.”
Tests revealed Lucy’s cancer was low grade so she has been able to focus on her recovery without fear of the cancer returning fast.
She said: “It was a long, hard recovery but since July I’ve felt a lot better. I’m enjoying spending time with my family.
“I’ve not been able to go on big holidays but we’ve had a couple of UK seaside breaks. Right now, I’m just enjoying life. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.”
Lucy is sharing her story on Instagram (@lucys_appendix_cancer_story) hoping her story will help others.
She admitted: “I’ve found sharing my story really rewarding. That is where I read about Stand Up To Cancer too.
“I’ve been left with a massive scar but it doesn’t bother me. It goes from my chest all the way down to my pelvis and I’ve got loads of other scars dotted around my stomach.
“To me, they are a reminder that life is short and we should all enjoy it while we can.”
Lucy is backing Stand Up To Cancer, the joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research. Now in its ninth year in the UK, it has raised more than £84 million, funding 59 clinical trials and projects involving over 19,000 cancer patients across the country.
To find out more or to donate, go to: su2c.org.uk
