Mum who lost savings on treatment while battling cancer fundraises for wedding
A mum who drained all her savings on nine-hour trips to hospital battling stage four ovarian cancer while PREGNANT is now fundraising £5,000 so she can still have her dream wedding.
Shannon Lamb, from Dundee, Scotland, assumed she had Covid in October 2020 when she started to feel run down and kept waking up in a pool of sweat. But when she spotted a lump protruding from her stomach, the 28-year-old went to her GP that November and following an ultrasound was devastated to be told she had cancer.
After having a grapefruit-sized tumour removed, along with her left ovary and fallopian tube, she was told that her cancer was stage 1a and that she didn't need further treatment.
In June 2021 the beauty trainer started dating Mark Taylor, 37, and after a whirlwind four-month romance he popped the question - but the couple sadly suffered a miscarriage in October 2021. Then, in March 2022, Shannon began to feel constantly tired and short of breath, even when sat down doing nothing.
Shannon Lamb with fiancé Mark Taylor and their son Hunter (Kennedy News and Media)A chest x-ray revealed that she had a 3cm-long tumour in her lung but not long before surgery she found out she was three weeks' pregnant. To protect her baby, Shannon turned down any morphine after her lobectomy - a procedure where a third of her lung was removed.
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But further tests revealed her cancer was now stage 4 and had spread to her spine and pelvic bone - leaving the expectant mother having to undergo chemo while pregnant. Despite the hardships she faced during pregnancy, Shannon went on to give birth to a healthy baby boy at 32 weeks in November 2022.
After eight more rounds of chemo and a stem cell transplant in Hammersmith Hospital in London, each involving a 500-mile trip each way, Shannon now wants to tie the knot with 'rock' Mark. The couple, whose £5,000 savings have been drained with the multiple hospital trips, have now set up a fundraising page so they can finally get hitched.
Shannon hopes to raise £5,000 to pay for her wedding (Kennedy News and Media)Shannon said: "Back in 2020 I was told I had a grapefruit-sized mass on my ovary that could be cancerous. I just remember being devastated, but when I was told my tumour was stage 1A I dropped to the floor crying with happiness as I was told it could be stage 3 to 4 initially.
"After our miscarriage in October, we tried to fall pregnant again when we felt it was right, but between that time and when I fell pregnant again, I started to feel a bit funny.
"I'd sometimes get really fatigued and other times I'd be really short of breath while just sitting down and doing nothing. I didn't know if I was just being a hypochondriac because of what I'd been through but I just didn't feel right so I decided to go to my doctor again. They sent me for a chest X-ray and had to wait for my results – at which time Mark and I stopped trying for a baby. When they called with the results, they said they'd found something concerning. I was scared and in shock. I didn’t want to believe it."
After the devastating news, Shannon got another surprise when she took a pregnancy test to find she was three weeks' pregnant. The mum-of-one said: "I was so scared of what impact my cancer treatment would have on my baby as I didn’t want to lose him or any harm to come to him.
Shannon gave birth to Hunter through C-section (Kennedy News and Media)
Shannon was terrified about losing her unborn son (Kennedy News and Media)"I had one round of chemo pregnant. It was five days inpatient, it was really bad, and then I came home. I couldn't move properly, I couldn't breathe properly. It was just really bad. After my first round, I went for my baby scan at 32 weeks and they told me his stomach had stopped growing and that he'd pass away if I didn't deliver there and then.
"I was really panicking because they said I was going in for my C-section that afternoon. I was just like, 'Oh my god, what's going on?'. Luckily they couldn't squeeze me in that day, so I had my C-section the following morning. My heart was pounding with fear and excitement as I knew I’d get to meet my baby very soon, and also know he’s safe and doesn’t have to go through any more [chemo] rounds with me.
"However, I was scared because I was weak and vulnerable from the treatment." Shannon underwent a c-section and had a healthy 3lb 10oz baby called Hunter in November 2022.
Just four days after having Hunter, Shannon started her next round of gruelling chemo, and was only able to see him for 30 minutes each day. Despite the cancer spreading and undergoing multiple rounds of treatment, Shannon says doctors are confident she has a strong chance of her cancer being cured.
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The chemo has caused nerve damage to Shannon's feet, legs, hands and arms meaning she has to walk with a stick – but she's determined to walk down the aisle unaided.
Shannon and Mark are desperate to tie the knot (Kennedy News and Media)Shannon said: "My treatment affects my nerves, so I can't feel my toes or feet or up to my knees."My hands are tingly and my arms are starting to go too.
"After this next round, then I need to recover because I really want to walk down the aisle without having a crutch or a stick so I can carry Hunter. I'm definitely looking forward to marrying the love of my life, Mark has been my rock throughout this whole journey. He has kept me strong and gave me the best present anyone could give, which is my beautiful son."
Mark said: "We started looking at venues soon after getting engaged so we could get a budget in mind and start saving, but the trips to London to see Shannon has made the wedding fund depleted, which is the whole point of the GoFundMe I set up. I've never asked for anything in my life, but it's worth putting it out there just to see what happens.
"Shannon deserves the world and I can't wait to give back what she's given to me. She's the bravest, most beautiful woman and I can't wait to marry her."
You can donate to Shannon and Mark's wedding fund here.
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