Amy’s 'last chance' in fight against incurable cancer
At 27, Amy Anderson is facing her ‘last chance’ in her fight against incurable cervical cancer.
In March 2019, Amy, then 25, was diagnosed with cervical cancer before she received her first routine cervical screening after she suffered severe bleeding.
Following three months of gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, the solicitor, who moved to Town End Farm last year, was given the all clear.
"You’re told it’s a 95% chance it’s going to work. I just sort of put it to rest after that,” said Amy.
"I got the all-clear and six months after that I had a scan and it had come back. You can’t have the same treatment so I had extensive surgery. Three months later it was back again – I guess it never really left.”
Aged 27, Amy was told the cancer is Stage 4 and incurable. The NHS could only provide palliative chemotherapy which could ‘keep it at bay’ but despite the gruelling treatment the cancer has continued to grow.
Now she’s on a waiting list for a clinical trial – the ‘last thing the NHS can offer her’ – but it is surrounded by uncertainty.
Amy has said she 'is not ready to put her weapons down' and is determined to stay herself for as long as she can.
A Go Fund Me page has raised more than £12,000 in three days which has opened her options and left her feeling overwhelmed by the show of support.
Amy has followed the story of a woman with incurable cervical cancer who travelled from Ireland to Mexico and has had incredible success with alternative treatments.
Although Amy would love to raise enough to explore options abroad, she has found a private clinic in London which can help facilitate different treatments.
As the cancer is so close to her organs she fears it will do irreversible damage and Amy wants to keep her quality of life for as long as possible.
"I have to say when I was going through the chemotherapy I had some really low points thinking can I do this any more. You can’t really describe just how awful chemotherapy is,” said Amy.
“But now my mindset is almost like refuelled, I feel hopeful again.
"I deliberately told doctors I don’t want to know.
This stage of cancer with no treatment if you look at the average [life expectancy] is around six to 12 months.”
"I’ve got an amazing family, they’ve had to think of inventive ways of being there for me because of the situation.
"My mam, Amanda Hope, and my partner, Gareth Wilson, are my best friends in the world – without them I wouldn’t have got this far.”
Having previously held fundraisers for Amber’s Law – which was set up by loved ones of Amber Rose Cliff who died of cervical cancer aged 25 – Amy feels the cervical screening age should be lowered.
"I truly believe I would have had more of a fighting chance if I got the opportunity to have a smear test earlier,” said Amy, who received the HPV vaccines.
"I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated, it’s phenomenal. I’d really like to raise as much as possible to open as many doors as I can.”