Terminally ill cancer mum spent £20,000 life savings on luxury holidays - then got better!
Filed under: Advice and health
Jeremy Durkin
A mum who blew her £20,000 savings on luxury holidays for her family after being diagnosed with terminal cancer has got better.
Lisa Russell, 37, vowed to give her two daughters the best year of their lives after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
The 37-year-old dinner lady and her partner Anthony got married and went on three luxury family holidays.
The mum even planned her own funeral and wrote goodbye letters for her daughters to open after she died.
But three years after the diagnosis, Lisa's cancer has unexpectedly disappeared.
She said: "I'd been saying goodbye and preparing for the end. It was heartbreaking to tell my daughters Mummy was going to die.
"I was very young when I lost my mother. The thought of them growing up without me was devastating.
"Telling them I wasn't going anywhere was the best moment of my life."
Lisa was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 2009. Its 94 per cent death rate is one of cancer's highest.
She was told her cancer was inoperable - but that chemotherapy could give her another 18 months with her family.
Lisa's biggest fear was that her girls, Chloe and Georgia, then aged 13 and eight, would not remember her so she vowed to create as many wonderful memories for my daughters as possible – and to marry their dad, Anthony, now 43.
Lisa said: "We'd always planned on getting married but everything else came first. Now we didn't know when the end would come, so decided to marry as quickly as possible, in just six weeks' time, using our savings."
Arranging the big day with more than 200 guests kept her daughters positive, while Lisa endured chemotherapy with the hope of extending her life.
Treatment was briefly suspended for her big day. Lisa's treatment ended in September 2009 and the Willow Foundation for seriously ill patients arranged for the family to spend a weekend in London, watch a West End show and go on the London Eye.
Months later, in January 2010, Lisa and Anthony, from Oldham, Lancs., flew to Lanzarote on a belated honeymoon - again taking the girls with them.
"We splashed out on a luxury villa using our wedding present money and savings," she said.
"It was impossible to forget about the cancer but seeing the girls play in the sea and play on the beach was fantastic.
"Again, I knew they were memories they would never forget and I wanted to create more."
As she edged closer to the end, Lisa asked her consultant if there was any chance she could be a 'miracle' recovery story.
She said: "I'd read that a tiny percentage of SCLC patients survived. He looked me in the eye and shook his head and said, 'Sorry'."
Terrified, Lisa booked another holiday to Bulgaria in May 2010, costing £4,000. With Anthony working as an electrician and Lisa unable to work, money was tight. But the couple vowed to spend what little they had left making memories for the girls.
"You don't care about money when you are dying, just your family spending time together," said Lisa.
"I didn't want their memories of me to be in hospital. I wanted them to be happy, carefree memories."
They spent more money on meals with friends and days out with the girls - before splashing out another £6,000 on a five-star, all-inclusive break in Turkey in September, 2010.
By the time she returned home, Lisa had already lived past the 18-month prognosis.
She continued to have check-ups every three months without any change in the outlook. Lisa bought guardian angel figurines for her daughters.
She wrote goodbye letters to them and her husband, telling them how much she loved them and assuring them she would always watch over them. She tucked them away with instructions to be opened after her death.
Lisa says: "I wanted them to know I would always be with them, regardless."
But her words were to come true in a way she could never have imagined.
In April last year - three years after her original diagnosis - she went for a routine biopsy - and was given the astonishing news that her tumour had shrunk so much the doctors couldn't find it.
"My mouth fell wide open," she said. "I couldn't believe it. The doctors couldn't either. My death sentence had been lifted.
"Nobody could predict this would happen. I can't believe how lucky I am. I was just laughing and said to my husband, 'Thank goodness we still have a few quid left, because I'm not dying'.
"The funny thing is, I never really felt ill apart from when I was having treatment. It was the chemotherapy that made me feel sick and tired.
"Being told I was dying taught me how short life can be - it needs to be lived."
What not to say to mums
- 'I didn't know you were pregnant again!'<p> You might have a bit of <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/06/23/match-the-celebrity-mum-to-her-post-baby-tum/" target="_blank">mum tum,</a> but you, really, really don’t need anyone to point this out, let alone imply you’re expecting another baby. We suggest a cutting remark back, something like, ‘yes, but not twins like you, you must be thrilled!’ will do the trick.</p>
- 'She's beautiful, but doesn't look much like you, does she?'<p> Don’t rise to this one, it’s harmless, but can certainly hurt your feelings. Remember your baby is exactly that - you made her, and you’ve got the stretch marks to prove it!</p>
- 'Are you sure the way he's doing that is normal? I haven't seen other babies do it'<p> Of course, you’re not sure if it’s normal, or if your child is completely off the scale for oddness and has a life of anti-social behaviour stretching out in front of him. But actually you'd just thought it was sweet until then - and the last thing you want to do is discuss it.</p>
- 'Do you actually work or are you just at home with the kids?'<p> This one usually comes from someone without children, who has never done a night feed, morning routine and entire day with small people hanging off them and hasn’t a clue that yes, you work, every minute of every day, and usually through the night too. Suggest a ‘swap day’ where they look after your little ones and you head to their office. They’ll be begging for 9-5 back before you’ve even left the house.</p>
- 'You must be so busy!'<p> Yes, so please go home or help me.</p>
- 'Is it time for another?'<p> You’ve only just got your body and brain back from the first, and someone suggests this ridiculous idea.</p>
- 'What a beautiful boy!' (when you have a girl)<p> This one is inevitable, especially if you have a bald baggy in practical clothes. You'll get used to saying 'she' she's a girl' wearily. You really do not need to festoon your baby in pink and bows if you don't want to.</p>
- 'You've got that real mumsy look about you now'<p> You always said you’d never turn into a ‘mumsy mum’ and now someone has come right out and confirmed your fears. If this comes from someone younger and with anything less than a size 10 waist, you have permission to de-friend without delay.</p>
- 'If that was my child I'd...'<p> We don’t care! Like every good parenting book states, every child is different, so keep your bragging and comparisons to yourself thank you very much.</p>
- 'How much sleep are you getting?'<p> Ok, so the yawning and dark circles might give it away, but whoever asks this is clearly expecting a horror story answer. Give them one and enjoy the reaction quicker than you can say ‘eye bags’.</p>
- 'Don't you worry about what he's eating?'<p> Yes, constantly. The cupboards are stocked with every organic, free-from, no nasties, no preservatives children’s food on the market, costing a small fortune. But right now, cake is all that keeps the peace. And no, you can’t have any.</p>
- 'Poor little thing, does she need a feed?'<p> This is thoroughly unhelpful, especially if said in the middle of a supermarket, or on any overcrowded public transport. A scathing look should suffice.</p>
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