Her mother, Michaela, shares her daughter’s heartbreaking story.
Katie was just 24 years old when she first began experiencing severe pain in her back and hip in January 2021.
She thought she just had back ache from working at home, or an injury from the gym.
Katie contacted her GP on April 19th 2021. Over the course of five telephone consultations, she was repeatedly prescribed medication.
It wasn't until May 2021, after a blood test and physical examination, that doctors noticed her c-reactive protein (CPR) levels were abnormally high - an indication of a serious underlying condition.
By this point, Katie's mobility had significantly declined, she walked with a limp and had to lift her left leg to get into the car.
At A&E, she underwent an x-ray and further examinations, but the results came back normal. She was diagnosed with sciatica and referred for physiotherapy. However, throughout May and June 2021, Katie's pain worsened.
Desperate for relief, she sought help from a private physiotherapist, who suspected a slipped disc and began laser treatment.
Eventually, Katie had a telephone consultation with a NHS spinal physiotherapist, who recommended a MRI scan. But with a waiting list of three to four months, Katie knew she couldn't afford to wait. She decided to go private.
Within 24 hours, Katie had an MRI, and the results came back the following day. On July 7th 2021, Katie received devestating news:
Multiple tumours were found throughout her body including her liver, lungs, ribs, and spine. The primary tumour was in her sacrum.
Two weeks later, Katie underwent a biopsy at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham (ROH). By this time, her condition had deteriorated further, yet she was sent home to wait for the results.
A week later, Katie received a call saying she had Ewing sarcoma. She was referred to Exeter for chemotherapy, with radiotherapy scheduled to begin on August 13th 2021.
Hearing her diagnosis, Katie struggled to comprehend how, at just 24, she faced such an aggressive cancer.
In the days that followed, her symptoms worsened. Katie's face swelled, swallowing became difficult, and the left side of her body (where the cancer was concentrated) began to go numb.
On August 11th 2021, Katie was rushed to A&E, where doctors treated her for severe anemia. Further MRI scans revealed that the cancer had spread to her jaw and the base of her skull. This affected her eye, causing it to droop shut, and we feared she would lose her vision.
Katie received emergency radiotherapy within two days, undergoing five daily sessions. Remarkably, she regained some movement and was able to open her eye again, though she still relied on a frame to walk.
Once radiotherapy was complete, Katie's oncologist began 14 cycles of chemotherapy, starting immediately.
She remained in hospital for five weeks, enduring severe side effects including mucositis, neuropathy, constipation, hair loss, mouth ulcers, and bone pain.
By mid-September, Katie had regained some weight, and her pain eased. As chemotherapy continued through the following months, her mobility improved so much that she was able to drive again.
In December 2021, scans showed promising results — Katie's tumours were shrinking in some areas and stable in others. We clung to hope that, at the very least, there were no new tumours.
Each chemotherapy cycle brought new challenges, including dangerously low neutrophilis, making Katie highly vulnerable to infections. She was hospitalised multiple times with sepsis.
Despite everything, Katie always looked forward to returning home to her beloved cat, Otis, and seeing her family and friends. She cherished the small moments of normality — watching Netflix, FaceTiming with friends, and enjoying her independence.
In February 2022, follow-up scans delivered heartbreaking news: the chemotherapy had stopped working, and the cancer was spreading.
Many nights, she cried herself to sleep, but her oncologist and hospital team never gave up on her.
Over the next few months, recurrent sepsis infections and severe fluid retention robbed her of her mobility once more. In early March, an ultrasound confirmed that her liver was failing because the cancer had taken over.
On March 17th 2022, my precious daughter passed away. She looked calm and at peace, finally free from pain.
My advice to others is to take persistent pain seriously. If it doesn't improve within a few weeks or keeps you awake at night, see a doctor and don't hesitate to advocate for yourself.
If you feel that something isn't right, push for further tests and second opinions. Katie never had that opportunity: her doctors were fighting an already advanced disease.
Ewing sarcoma is rare, and many doctors may never come across it in their careers, making specialist expertise essential.
I hope that continued research leads to better treatments, saves lives, and one day finds a cure.
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