Caroline Richards was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014, with doctors giving her just a few years to live at most – but the mother, now 44, has defied the odds
Caroline Richards was told by her doctors she would die from a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis.
But 10 years on from her diagnosis, Caroline is telling members of the public what she has learned over the decade of beating the odds. Caroline had recently become a mother, and her son Danny was only 18 months old at the time. She faced the terrifying prospect of not being there to see him grow up or go to secondary school.
Determined to create lasting memories for Danny, Caroline embraced her treatment and aimed to live her remaining time as fully as possible, ensuring that her son would remember her through his own experiences rather than just stories told by others. In the 18 months following her bowel cancer diagnosis, Caroline underwent several major surgeries to remove tumours from her ovaries and bowel and entered remission. She then had regular monthly blood tests to monitor for any signs of the cancer’s return. Unfortunately, the cancer came back in 2015, 2017, and 2020.
Caroline, now 44, has defied the odds over the past decade since her cancer diagnosis, reports Wales Online. Caroline said: “Ten years is a very long time to be living with cancer and having treatment. In those years I’ve had a few periods of remission but mostly it has been chemo after chemo after chemo. This eventually takes its toll on you. Mentally I find it hard. Sometimes I can totally forget I have cancer and it’s the last thing on my mind. Other times it’s there keeping you up all night worrying about what’s going to happen next.
“I can’t quite believe that I’ve made it to my ultimate goal which was to see Danny to secondary school. I wanted him to be old enough to have true memories of me not stories and pictures that people would show and tell him. This was such a pipe dream many years ago and I would have never thought I would see this day but here I am. There will be lots of tears in September I’m sure.” Caroline began penning letters for Danny and assembling a memory box filled with personal items like her perfume.
“We have done things like make our own traditions and I hope that he may carry them on with his family one day. I will sort out a present for his 18th with my husband and maybe write some birthday cards but I don’t want to be bombarding him. When I’m gone that will be a new chapter in his and my husband’s life and they need to live it the way they want to.”
When the cancer returned in 2020, the situation took a grim turn. No longer responding to chemotherapy as before and with tumours located in hard-to-reach areas, surgery was off the table. “Since 2020 the situation has been very different as there is no hope of an operation. My tumours are just in places that are too difficult to operate so the aim is to keep them stable or slow growth for as long as we can to buy time.”
Caroline added: “I have had three different types of chemotherapy over the years and this third one is likely running its course now the cancer seems to have worked it out. There are a few drugs that have become available recently that I may be able to try. That’s the amazing thing there are trials and drugs coming out regularly and I just have to hope that they might buy me more time.
“But ultimately we know that life has changed for me especially in the last year. Pain has become a huge issue. I have wonderful help from Macmillan who have helped me find the right pain relief and dosages and that has been an immense help. I get tired a lot nowadays. I have a daily nap so I can make it through to the evening. I’m learning to live a bit differently and slower with the cancer but it’s not stopping me yet.”
She added: “I’m not too keen on the fighting talk that’s used around cancer but I understand why it is. It feels like a fight. But it’s unfair to call it a fight when I have no chance of winning. Cancer will kill me. I know that. But how I choose to live my life and the way I live my life with cancer is where I feel I am winning.”
And Caroline offered more heartfelt advice, saying: “The advice I would give to people is to try and enjoy life. It can be messy, difficult, and hard but there is always something good to look for in every day. Find it and hold onto it. The simple things are often the best. A good book, a nice cup of tea, the sun shining on your face. All these things are blessings that we take for granted. Use your time and energy wisely with people who deserve it.”