A mother of four has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis after initially believing a key symptom was just a side effect of her weight loss diet.
Camilla Chapman, a 40-year-old from West Sussex, UK, has been told she has just months to live after doctors diagnosed her with stage four stomach cancer. The cancer has already spread to her liver, lungs, and lymph nodes.
Ignoring the Signs
Chapman first noticed issues in March last year when she started having trouble swallowing. At the time, she was on a low-calorie, liquid-based diet, so she assumed her difficulty was related to not eating solid food regularly.
"I ignored it, thinking it was just because I hadn’t been eating properly and maybe I had just got lazy at chewing. I thought my body was just used to swallowing liquid and not food," she told The Independent.
Three months later, she also discovered a lump in her jawline but did not connect it to her earlier swallowing difficulties.
It wasn’t until January of this year—when a gut feeling told her something was wrong—that she insisted on further medical testing. A blood test, endoscopy, and biopsies led to her devastating diagnosis.
No Treatment Options in the UK
Doctors told Chapman there was nothing they could do beyond offering palliative chemotherapy, which might slow the spread of the cancer but would also cause severe sickness.
"The doctor told us there was nothing he can do, surgery isn't an option and chemo may give us a bit more time but overall my life would be over within a year," she shared in a fundraiser for alternative treatment.
"I don't want to become a sick mummy," she said. "I am refusing to believe that this is it and I will do anything to support my body through this."
Fighting for More Time
Determined to fight, Chapman has been researching alternative treatments and has found a clinic abroad that offers therapies not available in the UK.
Her four young boys—aged three, five, six, and eight—are her biggest motivation to keep going.
"I can't even imagine not being here to see them grow up... It's just not an option," she said.
Raising Funds for Alternative Treatment
Chapman has started a JustGiving fundraiser to help cover the costs of treatment overseas. At the time of writing, the campaign has raised £31,833 (about $42,274) with a goal of £100,000 ($132,700).
"We have found a clinic abroad that offers all the treatments I need but it costs a fortune. To have a chance at healing from this, I need to go there," she wrote.
"I have to beat this, I will beat this."
A Warning to Others
Chapman is now using her story to warn others about ignoring seemingly minor symptoms.
According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms of stomach cancer include:
- Trouble swallowing
- Persistent stomach pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Feeling full after eating small amounts
- Fatigue or weakness
By sharing her experience, she hopes to encourage others to seek medical advice at the first sign of unusual symptoms.