I'd do anything to stop others enduring this'

Mum-of-three battling pancreatic cancer backs pioneering project

- NEAL KEELING

WHEN a GP put her chronic fatigue down to depression, Cheryl Hamilton had her doubts – after all, her husband’s sense of humour makes her laugh every day.

Blood tests and a scan after she went back proved her right, as doctors made a devastating discovery. A tumour was wrapped around one of her major arteries. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told she could have just two years to live.

The 46-year-old mother-of-three from Blackley was given chemotherapy to slow down the growth. Earlier this year, Cheryl underwent a complex 13-hour operation at Manchester Royal Infirmary to try to remove the tumour.

The surgery was a success, and barring side effects which impact her digestive system, Cheryl, a care navigator for the NHS, was delighted after being told the cancer had gone.

But unfortunately, a recent follow up scan found tumours on her bowel and nearby lymph nodes. Cheryl will now need to restart chemotherapy later this month.

Cheryl, who is mum to Reece, 25, Ellie, 22, and 16-year-old Isabelle, said: “My only symptom with the original diagnoses was that I was really fatigued all the time.

My GP said I was depressed, but I knew that was wrong, my husband makes me laugh every day. So, I went back again, and they gave me blood tests and then a follow-up scan which flagged something suspicious. I was so happy when the doctors said they would do the operation, but it came with lots of risks.

“We didn’t ask for the prognosis at first and we didn’t want to tell the children, who were at crucial stages of their education at the time. But we obviously had to tell them, and they have done so well throughout it all.”