A former nurse who thought she would never spend Christmas with her family again after her frozen shoulder turned out to be terminal blood cancer is still defying the odds six years later.
Louise de Bord, from Wimbledon, south-west London, first developed shoulder pain after hitting a curb while driving. The doctor diagnosed her with frozen shoulder. Despite physical therapy and steroid injections, the shoulder pain worsened over the next six months until she could not even move her arm.
“I was in pain, it was so painful,” recalled Ms de Bord, who worked as a nurse and consultant in oncology. “I went to the doctor to treat frozen shoulder, but nothing helped.”
Some blood tests were ordered, but as Ms Board later discovered, the blood test was unable to detect her specific type of cancer. A CT scan also showed no signs of cancer. Finally, a physical therapist referred her for an MRI, which showed she had a broken arm and a hole in her arm.
The then 54-year-old woman was eventually diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the disease began to seriously weaken her bones. She underwent a course of treatment, after which she underwent a stem cell transplant in 2017.
“I don’t think we had much hope at first,” says Ms. de Bord, now 60. “My partner Bridget and I are both nurses and when we found out there was no treatment for myeloma in the area. When I was first diagnosed I was completely shocked, scared and terrified.
“I definitely thought I was going to die. I gave away all my things. I started getting ready. My friends and family were also very shocked: not many people seemed to have heard of myeloma. The impact was huge.”
Myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and currently affects more than 24,000 people in the UK. More than 3,000 people die from it every year.
It is a relapsing-remitting cancer, meaning that although many patients experience periods of remission after treatment, the disease is bound to recur.
Ms de Bord said: “I remember we both said to the consultant at the time: ‘If the stem cell transplant fails or the treatment fails, would we consider it palliative care?’ The consultant looked at us and was very shocked. He said, “Dude, no, there are a lot more treatment options.”
We later discovered that the treatment of myeloma had made tremendous progress. The advisor feels like he has a few options up his sleeve, and that makes me optimistic.”
Six years later, Louise continues to defy the odds and is now looking forward to celebrating another Christmas with Bridget and her dog Elton John.
“Christmas brings relief,” Ms. de Bordes said. “You think, ‘God, I didn’t think I’d have another one.’ Christmas is an important time for me and my partner.”
Although it is the third most common form of blood cancer, myeloma is especially difficult to detect because symptoms such as back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infections are often associated with general age or minor ailments.
More than half of patients have to wait more than five months to receive a correct diagnosis, and about a third are diagnosed in the emergency department. At this stage, many of them experience severe or life-threatening symptoms.
Although myeloma has no cure, most cases are treatable. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, alleviating the complications and symptoms it causes, and prolonging and improving the patient’s quality of life.
Ms de Bordes’ cancer returned in 2020. But thanks to unprecedented advances in treatment and access to new drugs in recent years, thanks to the efforts of blood cancer charity Myeloma UK, she is back in remission. Ms de Bord has now joined Myeloma UK’s Christmas appeal to give more patients access to the latest and most effective treatments, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with their loved ones.
Sarah Secombes, head of fundraising at the charity, said: “Louise’s story shows how important it is for Myeloma UK to fund life-saving myeloma research and continue to fight for access to the latest treatments. Without people’s generous donations, we would not be able to do any of this.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone living with myeloma can live a fulfilling life like Louise, giving them hope for a better future and the opportunity to spend more Christmases with their loved ones.” We work towards this goal every day.”
Ms de Bord said it was “amazing and a little overwhelming” to see first-hand the huge impact donations can have on patients’ treatment and recovery.
She said: “It’s really important for us to celebrate Christmas together again with our friends and family. As a patient, I believe the work of Myeloma UK is absolutely important – it is essential. That’s the only way change can happen, and that’s nice. [the drugs watchdog] will actually fund treatment and move things forward. Propaganda is key.
“Because we had both been diagnosed and treated, neither of us had the strength or drive to fight for treatment and move forward.”
Bridget Culber, 60, said: “Christmas means a lot to both of us. I consider this a positive milestone and wish Louise to live to see many of them. “If we can do something to make the process a little less painful and a little easier for the next person diagnosed and their partner, then that’s what we want to achieve.”
Now the couple is focused on making every moment count.
Ms Board said: “We were in Barbados in January last year and would love to go back. We want to travel a little further.
“But I’m not sure these are important things anymore.” You do what’s on your bucket list, but there are also everyday activities: pleasant walks around the neighborhood, enjoying the fresh air and looking at the trees. .
“It’s about making memories, having fun with our friends and family, and not letting my myeloma get so bad that I can’t enjoy life right now.”
Click here to donate to Myeloma UK’s Christmas appeal.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.