A Trafford mother has shared how she was diagnosed with a form of bowel cancer after initially dismissing her only symptom as a common condition. Charlotte Moffatt, 43, from Sale, noticed blood when she wiped after going to the toilet. After searching her symptoms online, she assumed the bleeding was caused by haemorrhoids. However, after experiencing a particularly heavy bleed, the mum of twins was referred by her GP for further tests.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Unfortunately, a colonoscopy revealed a large polyp. Subsequent biopsies and scans confirmed the devastating diagnosis of stage three rectal cancer. Charlotte said: "You just hear the word cancer, everything else goes blank. I just remember hearing that word and bursting into tears, even though I'd kind of prepared myself that that's what they were looking for."
Thankfully, doctors told Charlotte they had caught the disease early and a plan for treatment at The Christie hospital in Manchester was put in place. She added: "I actually left that appointment feeling quite positive that there was a plan in place. I think the worst thing with any cancer is uncertainty."
Recovery and Fundraising
Now cancer free, Charlotte is fundraising by taking part in The Christie Charity's Festive Dash - and is sharing her story to support an appeal by the charity and the Manchester Evening News to build a new scanning centre at The Christie in Manchester. Since her diagnosis, Charlotte has been through four rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery to remove her rectum and part of her colon, and further surgery to reverse a temporary stoma.
In May this year, Charlotte was given the amazing news her treatment had worked and she was cancer-free, and her stoma was reversed in August. Despite completing treatment, she will continue to attend The Christie for regular scans as part of her remission. It comes as The Christie Charity has launched a £42.5m appeal to create a new scanning centre for patients like Charlotte at the Manchester cancer hospital.
She said: "One of the things I notice going to The Christie, it's a really humbling experience because you realise how many people are going through cancer. It's so busy. Every time I've been, there's been a lot of people in waiting rooms. The staff are absolutely brilliant, but there are waits and when you're already quite worried and nervous, that sort of waiting around and sort of not knowing what's going on can feel quite daunting."
Festive Dash Challenge
The charity says the centre will increase scanning capacity and provide a better environment for patients, while supporting more precise diagnosis and treatment. Charlotte is now preparing to take part in a Christmas-themed run at Wythenshawe Park to raise funds for the charity. The event marks a year since she took part in The Christie Charity's Festive Dash last year just before starting chemotherapy.
Charlotte will be joining hundreds of others to run the five-kilometre race on November 29 - which also happens to be her 44th birthday. She will be joined by her sister-in-law Beth Taylor, from Stockport, who is a nurse at The Christie and supported her throughout her treatment.
Charlotte said: "I cannot thank The Christie enough for the care I have received over the past 18 months, so what better way to raise some money than to take my battered, bruised and rectumless body for a 5K run! I'm definitely weaker than I was a year ago, so this really will be a challenge. But I'm determined to do it to show that this disease has not beaten me. And the fact that it's on my birthday makes it extra special. It's a birthday I wasn't sure I'd see, so being able to celebrate it by running 5K for The Christie Charity feels pretty amazing."
