A MUM was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer just days before giving birth to her son.
The first sign Kelly Heather, 38, noticed was an unusual change in her fingernail.
It was 2017, and the mum-of-four has endured an almost eight-year battle with cancer since.
When Kelly, from Gravesend, Kent, initially visited the GP for her fingernail, she was told there were “no cancer cells showing” but was monitored every three months.
Though it’s rare, skin cancer – including melanoma – can develop under and around your fingernails and toenails.
It may look like a brown or black band on your nail, which can be easily mistaken for a bruise.
Over the three months, Kelly’s fingernail line got darker and thicker – and she was eventually diagnosed with melanoma.
Kelly had her nail bed removed at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead and was told the surgery had gone well with no cancer left behind.
But within six months, something which looked like a verruca appeared at the end of the finger, signalling that the cancer had returned.
When she was told she might need to have her finger partially amputated, she said to the doctor: “Whatever you need just take it. I’d rather that than it spread anywhere else.”
In March 2020, Kelly’s fingertip was finally removed and she was given the “all-clear”.
She pushed for a further scan to ensure no cells were left behind, but this was refused because Queen Victoria Hospital had categorised her cancer as stage 0 (non-spreadable).
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”I blamed my thumping headache on a hangover after a boozy girls night out – it was a deadly cancer” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6364992045112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]But in August 2022, Kelly discovered a lump in her armpit. The cancer had returned and spread to her lymphatic system.
The mum underwent a major surgery in which 20 lymph nodes were removed.
She was told only one of them had metastatic malignant melanoma – a type of skin cancer which has spread to a different part of the body.
By October 2023, following a year of immunotherapy at Maidstone Hospital, Kelly’s scans were coming back clear again.
She was told she didn’t require a second year of immunotherapy and was classed as in remission in April 2024 – just two weeks before she found out she was pregnant.
But at 35 weeks pregnant, Kelly found she couldn’t lift her left leg properly.
[quote credit=”Kelly Heather”]I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that I have terminal cancer[/quote]She said: “My leg started flicking out and shaking uncontrollably, and within not even a minute, I was having a full seizure in the kitchen.
“I honestly thought I had died. I thought I was dying and all I could think was my kids have lost their mum and my baby is going to die.
“It’s one of the most traumatic things I’ve ever gone through.
“I’ll never forget that day.”
Stage 4 melanoma brain cancer
Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour which was later confirmed as stage 4 melanoma brain cancer.
She gave birth to her fourth child Te-Jay via c-section on December 9, and less than 10 days later, underwent brain surgery to remove the tumour.
She said: “They removed most of the tumour, but they couldn’t remove all of it without causing permanent paralysis to my left side.
“So, a small part was left behind, which is why I have to have the targeted radiotherapy to kill the remaining tumour left in the brain.”
With a newborn to look after, Kelly is starting a new treatment which includes two separate immunotherapy drugs.
She said: “It is the only treatment that is available.
“There’s a 50 per cent chance it will work for me. It’s very much hit and miss so it’s quite scary.
“I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that I have terminal cancer.
“Really, I should have continued to have the second year of treatment and that would have probably kept it at bay.
“But now, with it being metastatic, it’s already spread from my brain through my lymph system, and I’m waiting for where it’s going to show up next.”
Kelly has been told there’s a 25 per cent chance the cancer could have spread to her baby via the placenta.
Tests have come back clear so far but Te-Jay is being regularly monitored at Guy’s Hospital.
Kelly added: “It’s just another worry. No mum would ever want to think that they’ve possibly spread a cancer to their baby.”
Pushing for further testing
Despite her diagnosis, Kelly is determined to “stay positive” for her partner Tom Woodcock, and four children Preston, 17, Brendan, 15, Rhea, 7, and Te-Jay.
She also wants to speak out about further testing – as she believes her now stage 4 cancer may have been detected earlier if she had been granted another scan – despite her cancer being classed as stage 0.
Kelly said: “I was told so many times I was cancer free – or that my cancer wasn’t going to spread.
“I tried to push for more scans but I was told no. I wish I had been that annoying patient who kept going.
“Now I’m in a position where I’m worried about leaving my kids without a mum. And we’re having to have really difficult conversations about the future.
“I just never thought I’d be here.”
She also said: “I am pushing for further testing to be given regardless of what stage you are at.
“Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and it doesn’t follow rules of what all the other cancers follow.
“They wouldn’t give me that extra peace of mind by having those further scans, and I think [the cancer] would have been picked up a lot earlier, before it went into my lymph system, which is where it spread quite quickly.
“I do wonder what would have happened if I got that one scan I begged for.
“I feel things could have been dealt with differently and I might be in a different position to what I am now.”
To help Kelly and her family through this difficult time, a GoFundMe has been set up. You can donate here.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: “Ensuring patients receive the right personalised cancer treatment as quickly as possible is our priority.
“While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we encourage any patient who may have a question or concern to speak to the clinical teams providing their care or our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.”
Queen Victoria Hospital has been contacted for a comment.