A UK-based mother of two recently discovered she has just over a year to live after initially attributing her symptoms to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Clair Honeywood, aged 45, had been dealing with persistent stomach pain, believing it to be related to IBS, a condition she had been managing for years. However, when the pain persisted, she decided to seek medical advice at her local Accident and Emergency department.
While at the hospital, the NHS healthcare assistant underwent tests that revealed an abnormality in her pancreas, but she was discharged without a definitive diagnosis.
The pain soon intensified, and Honeywood developed jaundice, turning her skin and eyes yellow. Concerned, she returned to the hospital where further testing led to a devastating discovery.
Honeywood was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer, with a tumor wrapped around a major artery, rendering it inoperable.
Although chemotherapy has slowed the cancer’s progression, she may have only 17 months left to live.
She shared, “My poor consultant didn’t want to tell me [the diagnosis] but I begged him to tell me. They then told me I had pancreatic cancer. The doctors told me that the cancer had not spread — but then they said it was not operable.”
Describing the news as ‘another blow’, Honeywood expressed her confusion about the situation.
Doctors advised her to ‘just go home and make memories,’ a grim indication of her prognosis.
Her cancer has reached stage three, indicating it has spread to nearby lymph nodes or begun to grow outside of the pancreas. Medical professionals informed her she has a five percent chance of responding to chemotherapy, with an estimated 17 months to live if it proves ineffective.
Despite the dire diagnosis, Honeywood has maintained a ‘really positive’ outlook, saying: “I am only 45 and you don’t expect to go through this at this age. There is still hope but at the moment I am just focusing on the three months in chemotherapy.”
“Life is for living — the body can’t survive without the mind so I have to be positive.”
Looking ahead, Honeywood has plans to cherish the time she has left. She intends to marry her partner of 21 years, Danny Burch, in July, with her GoFundMe campaign nearing its £20,000 target to cover the wedding expenses.
She remarked, “I feel like I have been given the gift of time. I am spending more time with my boys — I have to look at the positives. We have been together for 21 years and it has been crazy that it took us this long to get married. He keeps looking at me and saying ‘I can’t wait for you to be my wife’.”
Reflecting on her condition, Honeywood noted, “It’s not normal for someone my age to get this cancer. When you don’t know what’s happening your mind just goes to some dark places.”
She added, “You just feel like your whole world ended — you just think about your kids.”
For those affected by similar issues seeking confidential support, the American Cancer Society can be contacted at 1-800-227-2345 or through their 24/7 live chat feature.