A mother who was told that she had beaten cancer was given the heartbreaking news that she had years left to live not long after.
Just six weeks after Michelle Black was told she was cancer-free, the 50-year-old from Hertfordshire was told by doctors that they had discovered a small, inoperable tumour.
Describing it as 'almost invisible' as it's 'less than a millimetre in size', the mum was given the emotional news just five days before Christmas.
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Michelle was diagnosed with a rare case of bile duct cancer in March 2024, and was told she had beaten it in November before the tragic turn of events.
The Brit was told that the tumour was stage three and incurable, with the rare form of the disease only effecting three in a million people around the world.
Only three in 10 people survive bile duct cancer for more than a year.
Michelle was diagnosed with cancer after losing her appetite, feeling pain under her ribs, realising that her urine was dark and that her skin had turned yellow.
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Surgery was carried out to take out 60 per cent of Michelle's liver, but further tests after this discovered the 'almost invisible' tumour in the tissues near her portal vein, which is a major vessel that carries blood from the liver.
While doctors have told her that she has just two to three years left to live, the mother-of-two is set on fighting the disease and finding a cure, so she can be around for her son Mason, 16, daughter Shannon, 31, and two granddaughters.
Speaking to PA Real Life, she admitted: “It’s impossible to believe that I’ve gone from being cancer-free at Christmas to a stage three incurable cancer six weeks later for something so small you can’t even see it,
“The cancer is so small, it is almost invisible – we’re still baffled as to why it can’t be cured.”
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Her family are also remaining strong, as her son told her she's 'going to get through it'.
Michelle revealed that she has been healthy throughout her life, steering clear of smoking and alcohol.
But after experiencing repeated symptoms and illnesses, she noticed something was wrong in December 2023, and has since experienced numerous hospital admissions, several diagnoses, repeat sepsis and surgery.
Someone who has stuck by her side through all of this is her best friend, Kirstine Cox, 53.
She recalled the time Michelle didn't feel like eating, and clocked that something was off.
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In weeks, she would then start losing weight, up to 0.9kg every 10 days.
A rheumatologist found that she had a high level of Bilirubin, which is caused by the breakdown of red blood cells, which resulted in her being sent for further tests.
The 53-year-old added: “She didn’t think anything serious was going to happen but then she called me from the hospital in floods of tears.
“She said ‘I can’t believe it, they say it could be cancer but they can’t be sure’.”
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Kirstine recalls the pair being 'in tears' after it was confirmed that Michelle had bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma.
“If you get any cancer, you wouldn’t want this one – it’s one of the most aggressive you can get,” she explained.
As well as part of Michelle's liver being removed, her gallbladder was also taken out, while her bowel was reattached to try and remove the cancer.
Kirstine said that she looked 'like a zombie' because of the medicine.
While the 50-year-old would be readmitted for MRSA and sepsis over the next few months, she was led to believe she was cancer-free by the back-end of 2024, celebrating her 50th birthday in November after further tests showed there was no spread.
However, doctors at Royal Free Hospital confirmed she had a stage three tumour the following month after the mum 'wasn't feeling right'.
So far this year, she has undergone one round of chemotherapy and is in and out of hospital, as Michelle described the experience as being 'like a rollercoaster'.
She stated: “I’d like to thank Kirstine as well as my mum, my sister Claire, my daughter Shannon, my neighbour Emma, my son Mason and everybody who has helped me so far as I try to beat this.”
Kirstine, who started a GoFundMe to raise money for alternative treatments, added: “Michelle is the most wonderful friend you could ever imagine.
“She just wants people to love her and she would do anything for anyone – she radiates love and she radiates kindness.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
Joshua Nair