Cancer fight I should be long gone – but I’ve never felt more alive
AMUM who was given a terminal cancer diagnosis six years ago is celebrating after undergoing breast reconstruction surgery that doctors said would never happen.
Heidi Loughlin, 38, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive stage four inflammatory breast cancer while pregnant in 2015 and told to prepare for the worst.
But Heidi, a former police officer who runs famous online blog Storm in a Tit Cup, has never given up fighting and has surpassed all medical predictions.
And Heidi, of Portishead, has now taken her recovery one step further by having reconstructive surgery tBhyatNashmeeNwaams etold would never be an option for her.
She underwent the operation called a DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator), that involves transplanting fat, tissue and skin from the stomach to make a breast, on Tuesday.
And in an update to her tens of thousands of followers, she said the operation had been a success and she had “never felt more alive.”
Speaking yesterday, Heidi said: “I wasn’t expected to live long enough for reconstruction.”
She marked the milestone of surgery by posting on her social media on Tuesday: “Done! Today is the day I was told would never come.
“Getting reconstruction with #stage4 inflammatory breast cancer just doesn’t happen. Statistically I should be long dead, but I’ve never been more alive.”
Heidi was three months pregnant when she was first diagnosed and ignored doctor’s recommendations to have an abortion, turning down super-strong life-saving treatment until her baby had a 90 per cent chance of surviving.
Baby Ally Louise Smith was born 12 weeks early via c-section on December 12, 2015 – but tragically died eight days later after developing an infection.
Heidi, who is also mum to Noah and Tait, has gone on to win a legion of fans online for her upfront and brutally honest blog about her disease.
To view her blog visit http:// storminatitcup.blogspot.co.uk/