Mother whose life was saved... by her washing machine!
Pain after moving appliance was tumour
WHEN she noticed water pooling on her kitchen floor next to the washing machine, it was an annoyance Laura Burnett could have done without.
But that unwanted leak ended up saving the busy mother’s life.
After mopping up and heaving the appliance back in place, the next morning she was in so much pain she could barely breathe.
Hours later, scans showed she had a tumour the size of a melon growing on her pancreas.
While moving the washing machine, Mrs Burnett, 37, from Aberdeen, had ruptured the cancerous mass.
Now, after an 11-hour operation to remove the ‘unusual’ growth and months of gruelling treatment, she has astounded medics with her remarkable recovery.
Pancreatic cancer usually affects those over 50 and has just a 5 to 10 per cent survival rate.
But nearly four years on, Mrs Burnett remains cancer-free and is looking forward to the future with husband, Paul, 44, and daughters Niamh, 14, and Catherine, ten.
The nursery practitioner said: ‘I still can’t get over it. It was about the size of a cantaloupe melon. They told me it was probably growing there for 15 to 20 years.
‘If I hadn’t moved the washing machine, it wouldn’t have ruptured and would still be growing. There’s no doubt that saved my life.’
Mrs Burnett, who was 34 when her ordeal began, was initially told it was unlikely to be cancer given her age, but a biopsy confirmed the tumour was malignant. During the operation in December 2018 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the surgeon also removed a second tumour the size of a tennis ball which was hidden by muscle tissue behind her spleen and had failed to show up on scans.
Mrs Burnett is sharing her story to raise awareness of the ‘silent killer’. She said: ‘It’s not like other cancers where there are physical symptoms, like a lump. People just don’t know they’ve got it. It just happened that I ruptured mine and that saved my life.
‘If you think something is a bit weird, go to the doctor. I had no indication of this apart from a bit of a bulge that wasn’t there all the time. I have been extremely lucky.
‘My three-year scan was a big milestone because the cancer can come back in 70 per cent of people, but thankfully it’s all looking good.
‘And when I get to five years next year, I will have as much chance of getting cancer as anyone else.’