Survivors' Stories
Meet our inspiring PMP survivors
Even if your case is rare, do not give up…
Fertility treatment, ovarian cysts, miracles, hernias and crossed fingers.
I was diagnosed with an inflamed appendix
Before I was diagnosed, I experienced increased abdominal size and piercing pain which was diagnosed initially with an inflamed appendix. It took about four months and another doctor for me to get the correct diagnosis at the end of January 2014.
When you’re faced with life and death, you choose life
I was 35 and had only just embarked on what should have been the most exciting chapter of my life so far. I was living in Australia with my girlfriend Laura, and whilst working on making the most of the hospitality and weather.
But the care-free life we were just starting to enjoy wasn’t to last, and in a devastating turn of fortunes we were faced with a choice that no one should have to consider; life or death.
Feeling proud
My 10-year-old son has recently been to pioneer week where he goes to his new secondary school for a week to experience life there. He was asked to write about someone who inspires them.
I had flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed with PMP
Initially, I had flu-like symptoms with pain in all the joints in my body followed by bad abdominal pain that did not go away. I was admitted to Gosford Hospital on February 11th, 2014 as they couldn’t diagnose what was causing the severe discomfort I was having. After being in hospital for eight days, it was discovered that I had pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).
Lisa takes part in a photoshoot
Following the Loose Women Body Stories campaign, Lisa took part in a photo shoot organised by The Sun newspaper. We caught up with her and talked to her about the shoot and raising awareness of pseudomyxoma peritonei.
I had cytoreduction and HIPEC and now I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro!
My local hospital happens to be the centre in Israel for treating this disease and two of the surgeons working there have extensive experience in performing cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC. To those of you have undergone this procedure, I don’t need to say more. If you are still recovering or about to undergo it, I wish you excellent care, strength, patience, and a complete recovery.
I had shortness of breath and my sides ached
I was experiencing shortness of breath and my sides ached when walking around, nothing specific. I had an ultrasound which showed a large tumor which was confirmed by MRI. I had surgery at my local hospital to remove a tumor the size of a football and my diagnosis of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) was confirmed.
I was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain and operated on the next day
On March 1st 2016, I was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain and operated on the next day. The surgeon found a tumour in my appendix and mucin throughout my abdomen. My story is about what happened next, my surgery, coping with the stress and the positives that came out of it.
Are you an appendix cancer or pseudomyxoma peritonei survivor?
We'd love to read your story
Many people find it helps to talk about their experiences. This can be helpful for others who are going through the same. We always respect your privacy — there is no expectation for you to provide a story to fully participate in our support groups or buddy scheme nor to publicly share personal details such as your name or a photograph. We are happy to support however much, or how little, you want to share with others.
If you would like to share your story with us and with other survivors, we’d love you to get in touch with us!