A 38-year-old U.K. woman, now facing stage 4 brain cancer after multiple recurrences urges cancer survivors to push for additional tests regardless of their stage of cancer. Her plea comes after her cancer resurfaced while she was pregnant with her fourth child, despite repeatedly being assured that she was cancer-free and her melanoma had not spread.
Kelly Heather from Kent, England, was told she was “all clear” last April after battling aggressive cancer since 2017. Just two weeks later, she discovered that she was pregnant. However, things took a sharp turn at 35 weeks of her pregnancy, when she had to be hospitalized with a seizure and doctors diagnosed her with terminal brain cancer.
“I was told so many times I was cancer-free – or that my cancer wasn’t going to spread. I tried to push for more scans but I was told no. I wish I had been that annoying patient who kept going,” Heather said.
“Now I’m in a position where I’m worried about leaving my kids without a mom. And we’re having to have really difficult conversations about the future,” she added.
Heather first noticed signs of melanoma in 2017 after an unusual line appeared on her fingernail which later got thicker. Although doctors could not initially find any cancer cells, she was asked to keep monitoring every three months. Over the years, Heather was diagnosed with melanoma and had to amputate her fingertip in 2020. Heather requested further scans, concerned that there might still be cancer cells remaining. However, doctors reassured her, classifying her cancer as stage 0, and non-spreadable.
However, two years later, Kelly discovered a lump in her armpit, revealing that the cancer had spread to her lymphatic system. She underwent major surgery to remove 20 lymph nodes. By October 2023, after a year of immunotherapy, her scans came back clear, and in April 2024, she was declared in remission—just two weeks before learning she was pregnant.
Heather underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor after her baby was delivered via c-section on December 9.
“They removed most of the tumor, but they couldn’t remove all of it without causing permanent paralysis to my left side. So, a small part was left behind, which is why I have to have the targeted radiotherapy to kill the remaining tumor left in the brain,” Heather said.
She is expected to start a new treatment involving two separate immunotherapy drugs. “It is the only treatment that is available. There’s a 50 percent chance it will work for me. It’s very much hit-and-miss so it’s quite scary. I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that I have terminal cancer,” she said.
“I do wonder what would have happened if I got that one scan I begged for. I feel things could have been dealt with differently and I might be in a different position to what I am now,” she added.
A 38-year-old U.K. woman, now facing stage 4 brain cancer after multiple recurrences urges cancer survivors to push for additional tests regardless of their stage of cancer. Her plea comes after her cancer resurfaced while she was pregnant with her fourth child, despite repeatedly being assured that she was cancer-free and her melanoma had not spread. Kelly Heather from Kent, England, was told she was “all clear” last April after battling aggressive cancer since 2017. Just two weeks later, she discovered that she was pregnant. However, things took a sharp turn at 35 weeks of her pregnancy, when she had to be hospitalized with a seizure and doctors diagnosed her with terminal brain cancer. “I was told so many times I was cancer-free – or that my cancer wasn’t going to spread. I tried to push for more scans but I was told no. I wish I had been that annoying patient who kept going,” Heather said. “Now I’m in a position where I’m worried about leaving my kids without a mom. And we’re having to have really difficult conversations about the future,” she added. Heather first noticed signs of melanoma in 2017 after an unusual line appeared on her fingernail which later got thicker. Although doctors could not initially find any cancer cells, she was asked to keep monitoring every three months. Over the years, Heather was diagnosed with melanoma and had to amputate her fingertip in 2020. Heather requested further scans, concerned that there might still be cancer cells remaining. However, doctors reassured her, classifying her cancer as stage 0, and non-spreadable. However, two years later, Kelly discovered a lump in her armpit, revealing that the cancer had spread to her lymphatic system. She underwent major surgery to remove 20 lymph nodes. By October 2023, after a year of immunotherapy, her scans came back clear, and in April 2024, she was declared in remission—just two weeks before learning she was pregnant. Heather underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor after her baby was delivered via c-section on December 9. “They removed most of the tumor, but they couldn’t remove all of it without causing permanent paralysis to my left side. So, a small part was left behind, which is why I have to have the targeted radiotherapy to kill the remaining tumor left in the brain,” Heather said. She is expected to start a new treatment involving two separate immunotherapy drugs. “It is the only treatment that is available. There’s a 50 percent chance it will work for me. It’s very much hit-and-miss so it’s quite scary. I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that I have terminal cancer,” she said. “I do wonder what would have happened if I got that one scan I begged for. I feel things could have been dealt with differently and I might be in a different position to what I am now,” she added.
