A mum given a year to live after her swallowing issues turned out to be terminal cancer has "got her life back" and is training for a half marathon.
Tracy Lockley, 47, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer - throat cancer - in May 2021 after having trouble swallowing.
The mum thought she had acid reflux or an allergy and was "shocked" when it turned out to be a rare and aggressive cancer.
The tumour in Tracy’s throat more than doubled in size in the weeks after she was diagnosed - leaving her reliant on a feeding tube.
Further scans revealed the disease had spread to the lymph nodes in her lungs - which is inoperable - and in September 2021 she was given 12-18 months to live.
But after undergoing multiple courses of chemo and radiotherapy, the tumour in Tracy’s throat has “vanished” and the spread of disease in her lymph nodes has been halted.
Although she lives with the imminent threat of her cancer returning, Tracy is now training to hike a half marathon in September to raise money for Macmillan, and she refuses to let her diagnosis hold her back.
Tracy, from Newport, Wales, said: “I was given the worst prognosis in the world and began preparing myself, my friends and family for me not being here anymore.
“It was a massive shock when they said I had a tumour. My doctor said this type of cancer is rare in women my age, it normally affects men who smoke regularly.
Tracy started having trouble swallowing in March 2021, and put her symptoms down to an allergy.
But her symptoms continued and she was hardly able to swallow her food.
Following an endoscopy, doctors spotted a 3-5cm tumour in her throat and diagnosed the mum-of-three with oesophageal cancer in May 2021.
Tracy's chemotherapy treatment began in August 2021– something that was not only hard on her, but on her eight-year-old son Roman too.
Following her chemotherapy, Tracy went for a scan in September 2021 which showed her the tumour had shrunk by half - meaning she no longer required a feeding tube.
But she was told the cancer remained in her lymph nodes on both sides of her lungs - making it inoperable - and she was given 12-18 months to live.
In November 2021, she underwent an intensive five-week course of palliative treatment - which is designed to relieve symptoms and prolong life, rather than targeting the underlying cause of the disease.
She had three to four hours of chemotherapy once a week and radiotherapy five times a week.
But Tracy said her young son, Roman, gave her the strength to pull through.
Tracy received the results of her chemoradiotherapy treatment in March 2022, and to her amazement, the tumour had disappeared.
The cancer in the lymph nodes to her lungs is still there, but is currently stable and dormant.
She is now training to hike a half marathon in September to raise money for the charity Macmillan.
She details her cancer journey on her Facebook page - where she documents how her body responds to treatment.
