Eve Perry from Wirral was just 24 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare condition, which had an impact on her whole family and has left her with lifelong scars
A woman claims she “went into complete shock” when the doctor drew the curtains and told her what was actually wrong with her. Eve Perry began noticing her symptoms in 2023 and after several visits to A&E she was admitted for 11 days and finally given her diagnosis.
The 24-year-old woman from Wirral said: “I started getting a bit of shoulder pain which developed into a cough and a stabbing pain down my right side. They came back, drew the curtain around the bay I was in, and told me they had found a tumour.” She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in her right lung called a carcinoid tumour.
She said: “I was on my own and went into complete shock. All I knew was that in the lungs you have three windpipes, and the tumour had blocked my middle two – that’s why I was getting pneumonia and why my lung had collapsed.”
Eve told the Liverpool Echo about the impact on her family during the ordeal: “My sister was on maternity leave, and she was a brilliant support. But looking back that must have been so stressful for her alongside caring for a baby. And during that time my nan died, so it was a lot for everyone.”
She underwent a seven-hour operation to remove her tumour which left her with lifelong scars. “I feel like because I never looked like people’s idea of a cancer patient, I wasn’t bald, I looked young and healthy, people didn’t always understand how poorly I was ,and I have felt judged at times,” she said.
“When I went to get a Blue Badge so I could park in a disability parking space, I looked well, my scars are hidden, and I felt the assessor was grilling me as if I was lying. But physically all of this has taken its toll, it’s really limiting. I can’t even open a tin.”
Eve is now in remission and on Saturday, the Teenage Cancer Trust took Eve and other young people receiving support to visit London’s Royal Albert Hall, for an exclusive tour of the venue and dinner backstage.
They were then treated to a live showcase of acts such as Darius Dare, singer-songwriter and LIPA graduate, from the best seats in the house, as part of the charity’s Ultimate Backstage Experience programme.
Eve said: “Seeing the show on Saturday was a once in a lifetime experience, the entire trip I was in awe of the amount of time and effort each member of staff had put in to make the event possible.”
She and the group were even invited on stage to take a selfie with the 5,000 strong crowd, who lit their phone torches in solidarity with young people with cancer. The group also took part in an interactive musical workshop.
Teenage Cancer Trust has raised over £34m through its annual series of gigs at the Royal Albert Hall to fund its specialist units, nurses and youth support teams across the UK. The VIP ‘Ultimate Backstage Experience” received backing from Domino’s Pizza, who have donated to Teenage Cancer Trust for 10 years.
Kelly Scott, head of youth work and programmes at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Friendships, mental health, body image, studies, work, relationships and choices about the future are hard enough to navigate – but a cancer diagnosis can make that even more challenging, leaving people feeling isolated.”
Eve said: “I’m so grateful to Teenage Cancer Trust – for me they are like the royalty of charities for young people with cancer. If I hadn’t got help from them, I don’t know what would have happened to me.”