A mother from Lincolnshire who feared she would not live to see another Christmas after two devastating cancer diagnoses is finally celebrating the festive season free from the disease.
An Eight-Year Battle Against Tongue Cancer
Clare Davis-Eaton, 51, from Grimsby, first discovered a lump on her neck in December 2015, which she described as being the size of a frozen pea. Following tests and a biopsy, she received the shattering news on 11 March 2016 that she had metastatic base of tongue cancer, which had already spread to her lymph nodes.
"It broke my whole world," Clare said of the diagnosis. She immediately began a gruelling six-week course of daily radiotherapy from Monday to Friday, combined with chemotherapy, a process she recalls as being "horrendous." The treatment left her drained and sick, and she relied on a feeding tube.
Her perseverance paid off when she went into remission on 23 November 2016, a moment that felt like "Christmas had come early." However, her ability to eat and swallow was severely affected, casting a shadow over that year's celebrations.
A Devastating Relapse and Renewed Fight
In June 2019, Clare found another lump on her neck. After three months of scans and tests, she was told the cancer had returned to her lymph nodes in September that year. She underwent an operation to remove the affected nodes, but not all cancer cells were eradicated.
Facing a critical choice, Clare was presented with a stark prognosis: a second round of targeted radiotherapy carried a 20 per cent chance of being fatal, but without treatment, she might only have six months. "Where do I sign?" was her immediate response.
During this second, brutal six-week treatment, Clare was so ill she was hospitalised for the final three and a half weeks. Fearing it would be her last, she put up her Christmas tree in October 2019, determined to bring festive joy early. She finished treatment on 9 December 2019, but the side-effects peaked over the Christmas period.
The Ultimate Birthday Present: Being Cancer-Free
After years of uncertainty and struggle, Clare received the best possible gift on her 50th birthday, 23 August 2024: she was officially declared cancer-free. "It was a present no one could buy," she said, reflecting on the eight-year fight that had consumed her life.
Clare credits her family—son Dominic, 31; daughter Georgia, 29; mother Helene, 69; and grandmother Eunice, 97—for playing a "massive part" in her journey. She also heaped praise on Macmillan Cancer Support, saying the charity kept her "afloat" at her lowest points and provided invaluable support to her whole family.
While she lives with lasting side-effects, including difficulty swallowing and a loss of taste, Clare maintains a profound perspective. "I don't mind having side effects; they're my free gifts because I'm here to have them," she stated.
Now volunteering for Macmillan, Clare has a renewed appreciation for life's simple blessings. "Going through cancer twice has taken me back to the meaning of Christmas," she shared. "It's not the presents under the tree, it's who is around it. You can't buy happiness, you can't buy your health—those gifts are priceless."
