Faye Louise, from Horsham (West Sussex), is a true fighter. In 2023, she was planning her funeral after being diagnosed with a rare cancer, and in 2024, she has returned to her job at Gatwick Airport in London. All despite a brutal treatment for pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare tumor that causes a buildup of a gelatinous substance in the abdomen, which included the removal of parts of eight organs.
"The mother of all surgeries," as she describes it to the BBC, included the removal of the spleen, gallbladder, appendix, ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, navel, greater and lesser omentum (connecting the stomach and duodenum to other abdominal organs), and part of the liver, as well as scraping of the diaphragm and pelvis. All during 11 hours on the operating table.
"Being told there was no evidence of disease was the best Christmas gift I could have received," the woman expressed after undergoing the operation and receiving the results.
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Faye's ordeal began in the spring of 2023 when she experienced abdominal pains and went to the doctor. She attributed it to menstrual cramps, but tests revealed an ovarian cyst. After a first operation, she heard for the first time "the dreaded word starting with C".
But things worsened when the tumor ruptured, and cancer cells spread throughout Faye's body, terrible news that could have led to her death if the titanic operation to remove a large part of her abdominal organs had not been successful.
Despite her return to work, which she says is "very physical" but she is "happy to be back in her position," the woman has to undergo annual check-ups around this time. "Unfortunately, waiting for the results will be crucial for me every Christmas. But we must keep going and never give up. Some days I have fallen into deep despair, but now, more often, I have more positive days," she explains on the BBC.