A woman who thought she just had a UTI was diagnosed with a rare tissue cancer and has now undergone chemotherapy and a 12-hour surgery.
Katie Arding, 29, from Reading, Berkshire, had just settled down on the Gold Coast, Australia, with her boyfriend, Rhys Lord, 31, when she suddenly found herself unable to urinate. She had struggled going to the toilet for the months previously but had put it down to a UTI.
After going to hospital, doctors found a 10cm mass on her pelvis, and following several weeks of testing, Katie was told she had a high grade pleomorphic spindle cell sarcoma – a rare tissue cancer. Katie returned to the UK for treatment and had chemotherapy before she was able to undergo a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumour, her anus, rectum, uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and one ovary.
READ MORE: ‘I switched to carnivore diet – it cleared acne, I lost 40lbs and it healed my PCOS’
READ MORE: Family’s heartbreak as daughter, 27, died after GPs missed her cancer 20 times
In the same operation she had her vaginal wall removed and reconstructed with part of her bum cheek. Despite the high chance the cancer could return Katie feels “proud” to have gone through her treatment.
Katie, a hairdresser by trade, said: “I had slight symptoms during the year but I put it down to a UTI. I had my anus and rectum removed and my uterus, cervix, both fallopian tubes, and one ovary.
“I had a reconstruction of my vaginal wall. They used part of my bum cheek to put inside me to create that wall again.
“It’s just a scar on my bum. As long as I’m alive that’s what matters.”
Katie left to go travelling around South East Asia with Rhys, who works in network infrastructure, in September 2022. For the four months they were travelling she noticed she would sometimes struggle to urinate but presumed it was a UTI.
She added: “I’d have to really focus and relax to wee. If I sat down too quickly I felt a bit of pressure – like something was swollen inside.”
Katie and Rhys settled in Gold Coast, Australia in February 2023 and were on a trip to Noosa, Australia for Rhys’ birthday when Katie had to be rushed to hospital. She said: “We’d been out on the boat for the day.
“Everything was fine and that’s suddenly when I wasn’t able to go for a wee. I was bowled over in pain.”
Katie visited the local hospital and had over 2L of urine drained from her bladder and doctors told her if she had left it any longer she would have gone into kidney failure. She added: “My bladder was so enlarged. My belly looked like I was pregnant.”
A CT scan revealed a mass on her pelvis but they were unsure exactly what it was. Katie returned to the Gold Coast and spent two weeks in hospital getting CT scans, MRI’s, X-rays and ultrasounds before they told her they thought it could be cancer.
A biopsy in September 2023 confirmed she had an aggressive case of high grade pleomorphic spindle cell sarcoma. Katie said: “I kind of collapsed.
“My whole body just switched off. It was such a shock. The fact it was really aggressive topped it off.
Katie chose to come home for her treatment and was sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea. She said: “They called me in to have a meeting. They said they think part of the tumour is on my bone and they would only be able to treat me with palliative care. I thought I didn’t have much time left.”
Katie had six rounds of chemotherapy before doctors could do a bone biopsy. Luckily it was benign and she was able to have an operation called pelvic exenteration in March 2024 – to remove the tumour on her pelvis and anything that touched it.
Katie was also fitted with one stoma bag and couldn’t sit down on her bum for six weeks following the surgery. She then had an emergency surgery in May 2024 after getting a bowel blockage.
Katie has scans every three months to check if the tumour has grown back and has to self- catheterise everyday as her bladder was disconnected from her kidney.
She said: “There is a high chance it will come back. I have taken it all in my stride. I’m proud of my story. I’m not ashamed of my body, or of my stoma.
“The surgery was a blessing – I wouldn’t be here without it. I feel lucky to have got through it.”
Katie is now hoping to start a business to supply affordable customised wigs and give advice to people who have gone through hair loss. She said: “I want to show my love for wigs. I want to show how versatile wigs can be.”
You can follow Katie on TikTok (@katiearding) where she shares her story and love for wigs.
