A BRAVE woman who beat cancer following a major operation has spoken about how it has changed her life forever.

Laura MacKenzie, 41, was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer and would have died without surgery.

She underwent a 12-hour procedure called a total pelvic exenteration to remove her bladder, part of her bowel and all her reproductive and bowel organs at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. 

Laura, who lives in Wemyss Bay with her husband Iain, said:

“I was 40 when I was diagnosed and had to undergo a scan and see if it had spread to my lymph nodes.

“It was a life or death situation.

“There was a very good chance it had already spread, but 40 lymph nodes were removed and when they were tested they all came back clear.

“I could not believe that.

“I was lucky in a way.”

Laura was told when she was diagnosed that the best case scenario was radiotherapy and the worst would be meeting with the colorectal consultant at Glasgow Royal.

It turned out to be the latter, but Laura knew she was in the very best hands.

Laura, who works as a service delivery manager, said her way of coping with the illness was to treat it as a project.
She said: “I know I could have died during the operation.

“It was heartbreaking, I saw all my family before the operation and my parents were so upset.”

The procedure saved Laura’s life but resulted in her having a permanent colostomy and urostomy, a stoma opening on the surface of the abdomen.

Laura is throwing herself into fundraising for Colostomy UK, which has helped her to adapt to her new life.

She said: “Before this happened I knew nothing about what a stoma was and the charity has helped me lots with awareness and practicalities of living with two stomas.”

Laura has signed up for the charity’s 50k six month challenge to improve her fitness levels and help tackle the stoma stigma.

She said: “I had little goals after I came out of hospital. I went for lunch in the Inverkip Hotel when I was given the all-clear at four weeks. I had my first overnight, my first weekend away and booked my first real holiday.

“We’re going to the Algarve and then Mexico later in the year.”

Laura started working again part-time only two months after her operation and returned to full-time duty in February.

She wants to reassure people that there is life after the type of surgery she had.

Laura said: “You can still do things — swimming in the Gourock outdoor pool is my next goal.”

Laura only experienced her first symptoms in August and as she’d had urinary tract infections in the past she put it down to that.

A month later after appointment with medics at Ross Hall and Inverclyde Royal the tests pointed to bladder cancer.

Laura said: “I didn’t get upset- I just got on with it.

“But I did think ‘why me?’.

“It is very rare for a young female to get it.”

But on her better days Laura realises that she is lucky to be alive.

She said: “There could have been lots of complications from the operation and it could have been worse.

“The first 48 hours were critical.”

Laura said she couldn’t have come through the traumatic experience without the support of her husband Iain, parents Christine and Gibson, sister Clare, husband Andy and nieces Darcey and Rosie plus friends and colleagues.

Laura said: “I couldn’t have done any of this without the amazing support of, Iain, who has been and always will be my best friend and my rock. ”

Laura and Iain, 58, have been together for 18 years and married for the last eight and she has two step children.

She also wants to thank the medical teams at Inverclyde Royal and Glasgow Royal Infirmary and consultant Mr Chong and his team who saved her life.

If anyone wants to support Laura and her fundraising they should https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/laura-mackenzie11