When a mum-of-three was told she was in remission from cancer last April, it seemed her life was finally turning a corner. Two weeks later she unexpectedly fell pregnant.
For Kelly Heather, 38, from Gravesend, it was a positive moment, after what had been a difficult few years.
But then, on December 2, she had a seizure and was later diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Kelly was 35 weeks pregnant when she parked her car and found that her left leg wouldn’t lift up properly.
The mum-of-four said: “My leg started flicking out and shaking uncontrollably, and within not even a minute I was having a full seizure in the kitchen.
“I honestly thought I had died. I thought I was dying and all I could think was my kids have lost their mum and my baby is going to die.
“It’s one of the most traumatic things I’ve ever gone through.
“I’ll never forget that day.”
The hospital confirmed she had a tumour on her brain, it would later be confirmed as Stage 4 melanoma brain cancer.
She said: “I was very lucky it didn’t happen when I was in the car.
“Really, I should have continued to have the second year of treatment and that would have probably kept it at bay.
“Now, with it being metastatic it’s already spread from my brain through my lymph system and I’m waiting for where it’s going to show up next.”
After the birth of her fourth child on December 9, Kelly was taken in for brain surgery on December 18 to remove the tumour, having spent a week on high-strength steroids to reduce the swelling in her head.
She said: “They removed most of the tumour, but they couldn’t remove all of it without causing permanent paralysis to my left side, so, a small part was left behind which is why I have to have the targeted radiotherapy to kill the remaining tumour left in the brain.”
Kelly was first diagnosed in 2017 following the discovery of an unusual line on her fingernail.
She was assured there were “no cancer cells showing” but was monitored every three months.
The line got darker and thicker and it was confirmed as cancer.
Kelly had her nail bed removed by Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead and was told the surgery had gone well with no cancer left behind.
Within six months a verruca appeared at the end of the finger, signalling the cancer had returned.
Facing a partial finger amputation, she told the doctor: “Whatever you need just take it, I’d rather that than it spread anywhere else.”
In March 2020, her fingertip was finally removed and she was given the all-clear.
She pushed for a further scan to ensure no cells were left behind, but as Queen Victoria Hospital categorised her cancer as Stage 0 (non-spreadable), this was refused and she tried to “carry on as normal”.
However, in August 2022, Kelly discovered a lump in her armpit. The cancer had returned and spread to her lymphatic system.
In major surgery, 20 lymph nodes were removed. She was told only one of them had metastatic malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer which has spread to a different part of the body.
The surgery had gone well and she had a year of immunotherapy at Maidstone Hospital.
By October 2023, all her scans were coming back clear, and the mum was told she didn’t require a second year of immunotherapy.
Finally, in April 2024 Kelly was put in remission and was “cancer free”, just two weeks before she fell pregnant.
Now, with a newborn to look after, Kelly is starting a new treatment which includes two separate immunotherapy drugs.
“It is the only treatment that is available,” she says.
“There’s a 50% chance it will work for me. It’s very much hit and miss so it’s quite scary, I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that I have terminal cancer.”
Despite her diagnosis, Kelly is determined to “stay positive” for her partner Tom Woodcock, and children, Preston, 17, Brendan, 15, and Rhea, 7, and Te-Jay.
There is a 25% chance the cancer could have spread to the baby via the placenta. Tests have come back clear so far but he is being regularly monitored at Guy’s Hospital.
Kelly adds: “It’s just another worry. No mum would ever want to think that they’ve possibly spread a cancer to their baby.”
She believes the cancer may have been detected earlier if further scans had been carried out despite it being Stage 0.
The 38-year-old said: “I am pushing for further testing to be given regardless of what stage you are at. Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and it doesn’t follow rules of what all the other cancer follows. It doesn’t have rules.
“They wouldn’t give me that extra peace of mind by having those scans, and I think it would have been picked up a lot earlier on before it went into my lymph system which is where it spread quite quickly.
“I feel things could have been dealt with differently and I might be in a different position to what I am now.”
To help Kelly and her family through this difficult time, a GoFundMe has been set up. Click here to donate.
A Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust spokesperson said: “Ensuring patients receive the right personalised cancer treatment as quickly as possible is our priority.
“While we are unable to comment on individual cases we encourage any patient who may have a question or concern to speak to the clinical teams providing their care or our Patient Advice and Liaison Service. ”
Queen Victoria Hospital has been contacted for a comment.
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