Warnock reveals how wife fought sickness ‘black hole’
CARDIFF City manager Neil Warnock has revealed his wife’s ongoing battle with the debilitating condition lymphoedema.
Sharon Warnock was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and lost her hair during her chemotherapy treatment.
While she’s made good progress, the disease often leads to lymphoedema which causes painful swelling of the body’s tissues.
Bluebirds boss Warnock, who opted to take the reins of the Championship side after seeking advice from Sharon, said the incurable condition affects his wife’s everyday life.
He said: “One night, after she’d been lifting something, she just said to me ‘Have a look at my hand. My hand is getting swollen and my arm is getting a little bit swollen – I’ve got lymphoedema’.
“It’s always something she worried about. She thought lymphoedema was worse than the breast cancer itself.
“She couldn’t just put any clothes on, she couldn’t get a sleeve over. She was really, really down at that time. She wasn’t even able to go into a shop and get a dress because of the size of the sleeves.”
The little-known condition is common in those who have received cancer treatment due to damage caused to the lymphatic system during treatment.
Fluid retention and tissue swelling are most typical in the arms and legs, causing sufferers’ limbs to swell to up the three times their usual size.
Warnock described the experience as a “black hole” for the family, particularly as they were not aware of any solution to help improve Sharon’s quality of life.
“We weren’t aware at that time of the sort of treatment and the machines that could help. It seemed like a black hole we were in at that moment.”
Though the condition is incurable, following hours of searching online Neil came across a home treatment that has drastically improved life for Sharon.
Previously, to receive treatment which helped her symptoms, Sharon had to attend hospital for lymphatic massage appointments where the availability was far and few between.
But after discovering a home treatment machine made by a Cardiff firm, Sharon can now manage the systems of her lymphoedema from the comfort of home.
The LymphAssist Homecare machine is a pump with a garment made of inflatable chambers which massage the affected areas.
Neil says the machine has been “life-changing” for Sharon as it fits in with family life, allowing her to commit to the school run as normal and treat her arm – in the company of her precious dogs – from home.
“It fits in with the family life, rather than having to be somewhere at 3pm in the afternoon for an hour.
“The equipment is good as well, it feels good, and you can see a difference. The sleeve has really helped Sharon, she trusts it totally. It’s amazing how many people aren’t aware of what you can do to help yourself.”
Neil is calling for greater awareness of lymphoedema, even supporting a group he met on a recent visit to Scotland who are raising money to treat the condition.