Mum, 51, given 13 months to live after battling cancer for past nine years

Mum Michelle Freeman, 51, has been given the devastating news that she has just 13 months left to live after being diagnosed with cancer almost 10 years ago

"I'm 51, I've had cancer since I was 42. At the moment, the doctors estimate I've got 13 months of life left – and I've got so many plans for my life."

These are the poignant words from a mum-of-three who is deeply cherished by her family and friends as they rally around in an effort to extend her precious life. Michelle Freeman's world turned upside down when her youngest child, Grace, at merely two-and-a-half years old, was diagnosed with a cancer known as retinoblastoma.

The concerning sign was discovered through a photograph, where Grace's eye appeared white instead of displaying the common 'red-eye tint'. Her diagnosis revealed two tumours, leading to complete vision loss in her left eye after enduring an intense treatment journey.

Tragedy struck twice for the Rochdale family, as in 2015, Michelle herself was diagnosed with breast cancer; she faced substantial surgery and chemotherapy. In an unfortunate twist of fate, she received yet another devastating blow in 2019: ovarian cancer.

Now, nearly a decade into a relentless battle with cancer and with her treatment options waning, Michelle and her close ones are issuing a heartfelt appeal for help, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Michelle discovered her baby girl was suffering from a life-threatening cancer after a paediatric nurse of over 20 years noticed in Facebook photos that Grace's eye appeared white instead of the usual 'red eye tint'. The nurse alerted Michelle and treatment promptly commenced - without it, the cancer would have spread to a fatal extent, as reported by the Manchester Evening News in 2013.

By 2015, the family's ordeal took a turn for the worse. Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to a mastectomy on her right side and chemotherapy.

She endured a gruelling 12-hour breast reconstruction surgery fraught with complications, but both she and her daughter were on the mend. Michelle returned to her beloved pastime of exploring nature.

However, in 2019, she sensed something was amiss and received heartbreaking news. "I'd not had a period in so long with going through chemo, and every time I sat down it felt like something was being pushed up my bum – that's the only way I can describe it," she shared with the M.E. N.

"That got looked into because the doctors were worried it was womb cancer. I had a biopsy and blood tests. They found 9cm masses on each ovary."

"It felt like I'd just got my life back, then it was back to square one."

Michelle endured further surgeries and chemotherapy to combat ovarian cancer, believing she had reclaimed her life after two years of being cancer-free, even returning to her 17-year tenure as a cleaner at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. "I went back to work full time, but then I got a phone call from The Christie two years after that in 2021, another blood test showed the disease was coming back," she said.

Routine blood checks confirmed the return of cancer in her pelvis, leading to additional operations on her liver and pelvis; yet, it had disseminated further. According to Michelle, eight months of subsequent chemotherapy kept the disease in check, and she found herself 'back to loving life'.

However, this year's six-month course of chemotherapy marked a daunting turning point; the cancer had grown resistant to treatment, with more sizeable tumours than before. She was confronted with a prognosis of just 13 months to live.

This week, Michelle began a different chemotherapy regimen, scheduled once weekly for six weeks. Now, Michelle, together with her family and friends, is reaching out for community support

.

The family has launched a fundraising campaign for additional treatment that Michelle hopes to use in conjunction with her chemotherapy, which is not covered by the NHS. She believes it could extend her life.

"Alongside [the chemotherapy] I can have Bevacizumab which isn't funded on the NHS! This is where I need your help," Michelle explains on her fundraising page. "It costs £3,386 every three weeks for 12 months. This is my only shot at prolonging my life. I'm not ready to leave this world. I love life."

"The irony of all this is that I feel so well. In discomfort but well. Why would I give up! " Cancer Research UK provides information on how Bevacizumab works: "Bevacizumab targets a cancer cell protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This protein helps cancers to grow blood vessels, so they can get food and oxygen from the blood. All cancers need a blood supply to be able to survive and grow."

"Bevacizumab blocks this protein and stops the cancer from growing blood vessels, so it is starved and can't grow. This treatment is an anti angiogenesis treatment. Meaning it interferes with the development of a blood supply."

Michelle adds, "It stops the blood supply feeding the tumour and helps alongside the chemo. It's £3,000 every time, but when you've been told there's a treatment you can have that might extend your time, you've got to try the best you can to get it."

"Everyone responds differently to treatments, but it might prolong my life and give me a bit longer with my family. So I'm trying to raise as much money as I can."

"If it stops working, there might be something else. We've got to think positively and get on with life the best we can."

"Don't get me wrong, I can have bad days where I spend hours crying. At the end of the day, I know I'll die from this but I want to live as long as I can. My daughter is only 16 and I'm a single mum."

By the time she has finished this round of chemotherapy, Michelle will have had 36 sessions of chemotherapy and a host of surgeries, including a mastectomy and hysterectomy, as well as procedures on her nipples and lymph nodes. Michelle has also had to give up her job as she worked directly with elderly people cleaning their warden-controlled properties, and her immune system has been so compromised by the treatment.

"I look like a patched up quilt with no clothes on," Michelle said. "And now I'm going to lose my hair again for the third time."

Michelle's daughter Grace has now reached 16, alongside her two boys Ben, 24, and Tom, 32. Michelle hopes to see her daughter turn 18 and wants to take some final holidays around the UK with her father who lives just two doors away.

"It's heartbreaking knowing I'm not going to be there for my daughter. My dad's birthday is the same day as my daughter's – she'll be 18, he'll be 80. She's too young to be without a mum," lamented Michelle, who actively supports Cancer Research UK, speaking to the Manchester Evening News.

"We've got to make the most of the time we've got left. Asking for help isn't something I like to do, but I want to stay alive."

As detailed in her crowdfunding campaign, as of writing, Michelle has successfully raised £7,730 out of a £59,000 target required to afford her long-term treatment. To support this mum-of-three in her fight, visit her GoFundMe page.

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