Rachel takes on 2012 challenge (From This Is Cheshire)

Rachel takes on 2012 challenge

5:50pm Monday 12th January 2009

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“MY mum and dad had to consider burying a daughter. Alan, my husband had to consider life without a wife and a baby girl with no mum. I had to come to terms with leaving my family.”

Mum-of-one, Rachel Smith, lives day-to-day knowing she faces a 60 per cent chance of survival over the next five years.

Rachel, aged 39, discovered she was a victim of the second biggest cancer killer, bowel cancer, just weeks after giving birth to her daughter Amy, in January 2005.

Rachel, of Woodbridge Close, Appleton, experienced abdominal pain but says the symptoms were continually put down to her pregnancy.

Even though Rachel was desperately ill after she gave birth, medical professionals kept putting her pain down to constipation.

A former nurse herself, she sought treatment at Spire, formerly the BUPA Hospital, Stretton, where she underwent a colonoscopy. Surgery revealed that Rachel had bowel cancer and would need a sub-total colectomy – the removal of part of the large bowel.

Her cancer was staged as Dukes C, meaning it had spread into the lymph nodes surrounding the bowel.

Following surgery the former nurse continued to experience pain, so despite being sceptical she made an appointment at Cheshire Natural Health, Tarporley Road, Stretton, for some reflexology.

Within four sessions the pain had diminished and Rachel was able to dedicate more time to looking after her active toddler.

Despite struggling to juggle the sickness and fatigue triggered by chemotherapy with being a new mum, she refused to let it beat her.

“I found the best way to cope was to arrive for my chemo with full make up, a nice outfit and my hair done.”

“I found the array of emotions I went through immense. I felt scared at the thought of dying and leaving my baby and my husband on their own. I felt very depressed at times but I believe having a baby to look after made me get out of bed every day and get on with life,” she added.

Her first liver scan was clear, which came as a relief to the full-time mum who had lived a healthy lifestyle before her diagnosis.

Rachel continues to go back to hospital for check-ups every six months.

The determined mum has been campaigning to raise the profile of the illness after feeling she had nowhere to turn for advice when she was suffering.

In 2007 Rachel paid a visit to Downing Street to meet Cherie Blair and gave a speech to more than 100 MPs at the Houses of Parliament to launch the Beating Bowel Cancer 2012 challenge.

She said: “I thought that bowel cancer affected the elderly and men.

“I was shocked by the lack of information regarding the disease that was available to me.”

The challenge, which was launched in 2007, aims for improved outcomes for sufferers through awareness, screening, treatments and the value of prolonged life by the Olympic year 2012.

Hilary Whittaker, Beating Bowel Cancer’s chief executive, said: “Our overall objective, through this important policy document, is to ensure that all bowel cancer patients are given a sporting chance and when better to review the success of our calls for action than 2012, when London will be hosting the biggest sporting event in the world.”

Brave Rachel’s chances of developing secondary cancer are diminishing but her fight to raise awareness of the disease – that affects 35,500 people annually in the UK – continue.

For more information log on to beatingbowelcancer.org or call 0845 071 9300.

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