A brave mum facing a long cancer battle has vowed to keep things light-hearted during her treatment as thousands of pounds have been raised to help her and her young family.
Emily Flood, 32, says she has been left in shock by the outpouring of love following her diagnosis with ovarian cancer last month – with more than £7,500 donated so far.
Mother to three-year-old Jack with partner of 15 years Luke, Emily is well-known in the Deal community and has had her own hairdressing salon in the seaside town for two years.
She first presented with symptoms in February this year, including bloating, pain in her abdomen and back, tiredness and loss of appetite.
She was operated on two months later, with her womb, uterus, appendix and ovaries all removed as doctors looked to get on top of whatever was going wrong.
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And in a cruel twist of fate, the mum-of-one was finally diagnosed with stage 3B ovarian cancer – meaning the tumours have spread elsewhere in the body – on May 8, World Ovarian Cancer Day.
“By the time I had my surgery, I looked like I was ready to drop with twins – I looked heavily pregnant,” said Emily.
“The cancer had spread to the fatty layer that the surgeon had removed and it was a mucinous carcinoma, which my surgeon and oncologist said is a rare ovarian cancer.
“I’m very open about everything to do with my cancer because I think it’s such a taboo subject and people don’t like the word cancer.
“But I would rather be this way, and spread awareness.”
Despite the prognosis – which sees little more than 25% of women live longer than five years – the courageous mum has promised to stay strong and even spoke of her hopes of manifesting a positive outcome.
But she is now set for a gruelling five months of chemotherapy, with one session every three weeks, and just two or three days of work a month while she battles the disease.
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She has also started an Instagram page detailing her cancer journey in a bid to make people aware of the illness – but insists she has no time for pity.
“I don’t want people to pity me or give me sympathy; I’m still me, I still want to live my life,” said Emily.
“This is just a bit of a blip and a bit of a rollercoaster. This is the last little hurdle and then hopefully I’ll get my life back.
“My son is a smiley little boy, so he helps me through every day but I just think you’ve got to see a positive, keep things light-hearted and I’ve just got to get through it, take each day as it comes really
“A lot of people tell me I’m very positive, but I’m very much a big believer in manifestation and I just don’t see the point in moping around.”
Started by Emily’s best friend, a fundraiser has received more than 300 donations from well-wishers.
The family plans to use the money to help keep on top of living expenses as well as a wig for Emily should she lose her hair and a caravan holiday to Essex for the trio to spend some much-needed quality time together.
Speaking about the gofundme and support she’s received, Emily told KentOnline: “I want to thank every single person that has shown us as a family so much love and support since my diagnosis.
“I want to give a special thanks to my close family and friends who have been such a massive support to me and I feel so loved.
“The biggest thanks goes to my partner Luke, who has gone above and beyond every single day for me and Jack and after 15 years of being together I couldn’t be without him.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
