Running to recovery – local woman supports bowel cancer awareness following successful treatment
Posted 22nd April 2022
The last two years have been challenging for us all but Katie Horan, 40 from Warrington, started feeling poorly just before the Covid-19 pandemic led us into our first lockdown. Two years on, Katie is thankful to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and local NHS for what turned out to be a life-saving bowel cancer treatment journey.
Following the festive period and some time away on holiday at the beginning of 2020, Katie put her symptoms of tummy discomfort down to a rich diet and overindulgence but when she began to feel worse, she knew that there must be something more to it.
After seeing her GP, she was booked in for scan for what was initially believed to be gall stones however by the end of May, Katie’s symptoms got so severe it was obvious she needed emergency help. Katie went to A&E in Warrington where she had two emergency surgeries – one to remove a large blockage in her bowel and another for a life-threatening sepsis infection.
Mother of one, Katie said: “I was only 38 at the time so never imagined that something like this would happen.
“I was put into an induced coma and my family were told to come and see me at a time when no visitors were allowed into hospitals, as I was deemed to be at end of life. Thankfully I pulled through but had to learn how to do many basic things like eating and walking before I was able to go home.
“The mass that had been removed from my bowel had been sent for testing and when recovering from my life-saving surgeries, I was told I had Stage III bowel cancer. Myself and my family were devastated and knew that despite everything I’d already been through, I still faced the challenges of treatment for the disease.”
After spending four weeks in hospital, Katie was able to go home to recover from surgery and to prepare for chemotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s chemotherapy clinic at Halton General Hospital. Treatment required visits to the unit every three weeks for chemotherapy via a drip as well as taking chemotherapy tablets for the three weekly cycles.
Katie continued: “In total, I had seven months of chemotherapy and my experience of the care from the team there was just incredible.
“I had to attend appointments by myself so it was a lonely situation that really tested my resilience, but I can’t thank my team, particularly my nurses, Louise, Clara and Jeanette enough.
“I know that I can contact them for support at any time and whenever I do, it’s just like speaking to old friends. They’re absolutely fantastic.”
Katie has now successfully completed her treatment and is in ‘surveillance’ where she has 12 monthly scans and blood tests every three months to make sure that she is still healthy and that the cancer hasn’t returned.
Back at work, Katie also completed Couch to 5k one year on from her diagnosis and raised over £2000 for charities supporting other people having treatment for bowel cancer. She says that her experience has changed her perspective in a good way: “I was lucky enough to have my stoma reversed earlier this year and prior to the operation I was determined to get physically strong enough to undergo this additional surgery and running seemed the perfect way to do this! I also took part in the NHS SafeFit Trial, which is an amazing resource for cancer patients, regardless of their staging or prognosis.
“It might sound cliché but me and my family definitely appreciate life and each other more now – we no longer put plans off for ‘one day’, but instead make the most of what we have and definitely enjoy doing things together more.
“It was an awful experience for us all but it now feels far enough away that, thanks to the excellent care I received from everyone involved, we can move on with our lives.”
Every 15 minutes, someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is supporting the campaign to raise awareness of the disease which, if found early is treatable and curable.
Dr Danielle Shaw, Consultant in Medical Oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re so pleased that Katie is thriving post treatment and wish her all the very best in her recovery journey.
“Bowel cancer is curable if found early with the most common symptoms being,
- Bleeding from your bottom/blood in your poo
- A persistent or unexplained change in bowel habit
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
- A pain or lump in your tummy
“If you experience any of these symptoms we would advise you to make an appointment with your GP.”
