Bikini model discovered she was terminally ill after unwittingly climbing Mount Snowdon with a collapsed spine – and doctors initially said her Stage 3 cancer was an ‘ingrown hair’
- Gemma Sisson, 38, of Leeds, lived active lifestyle and hit gym five days a week
- Discovered lump on groin while on holiday in 2017 but told it was ingrowing hair
- Returned to GP twice as lump grew and tests eventually revealed pelvic cancer
- Underwent treatment which left her infertile and was given all clear in January
- Began experiencing back pain which turned out to be tumours on her spine
- Her secondary cancer is uncurable and friends are raising money to support her
A super-fit bikini model has been given a devastating incurable cancer diagnosis – after her initial symptoms were dismissed by doctors as an ingrown hair.
Gemma Sisson, 38, of Leeds, underwent treatment which left her infertile and was given the all clear in January – however she later developed secondary cancer in her spine which is untreatable.
Unbeknownst to her, months previously Gemma had climbed Mount Snowdon with a partially collapsed spine. She is now making the most of the time she has left.
Gemma lived a very active lifestyle, hitting the gym five times a week and competing in fitness competitions as well as learning to become a personal trainer.
She discovered a marble-sized lump on her groin while on holiday in 2017, but doctors back home diagnosed it as an ingrown hair. Months later she returned to her GP as the lump had grown, but was informed once again it was nothing to worry about.
Gemma Sisson, 38, of Leeds, lived a very active lifestyle, hitting the gym five times a week and competing in fitness competitions as well as learning to be a personal trainer
In March 2018 the lump was the size of an egg and had become painful, so Gemma went to A&E. Further tests the following month revealed it was stage 3 cancer in four of her lymph nodes in her pelvis.
‘I got the results on Friday 13,’ Gemma told FEMAIL. ‘I was shocked. Apart from the lump I had no symptoms.
‘I felt super healthy, had no weight loss or change in appetite, I wasnt feeling run-down or anything. I was so confident it was nothing serious I went on my own to get the results of the biopsy, and even when I was told I didn’t take it in properly.
‘It was only when they mentioned chemo and radiotherapy that I realised what it meant.’
Gemma underwent chemotherapy through a pump and a PICC line – a thin, soft, long catheter (tube) that is inserted into a vein in the arm – meaning she was able to leave hospital.
Gemma, pictured competing in a bikini fitness competition, discovered a lump on her groin while on holiday in 2017, but doctors back home dismissed it as an ingrown hair
‘I had this for two weeks and 27 sessions of daily radiotherapy,’ she recalled. ‘Luckily I was able to have a type of chemo that didn’t make me lose my hair.
‘I had some days of feeling very weak and nauseous on the chemo and towards the end of the radiotherapy the damage to my skin around my pelvic area was unbelievably painful, but it did heal quick.’
Gemma was fortunate throughout her treatment to be able to keep up some level of training, which she said was ‘a huge help mentally and physically’ with dealing with the ordeal.
‘I think this is the point I would really like to get across – you can feel healthy but still have cancer, so if you have any health concerns keep going to your doctor until you get a satisfactory answer,’ she urged.
Despite the radiotherapy causing damage to Gemma’s ovaries, triggering instant menopause which will require her to be on hormonal replacement treatment for the next 12 years, she said overall she feels ‘lucky’ at how her body reacted to it.
In January this year, Gemma was given the all clear and said it felt ‘amazing, like a huge weight had been lifted’
The treatment has left her infertile, and she chose not to freeze her eggs as she has never wanted children.
‘This was not as difficult a decision for me as it would be for many women,’ she acknowledged.
In January this year, Gemma was given the all clear and said it felt ‘amazing, like a huge weight had been lifted’.
‘I was having scans every three months and the time in between the scan and the results was always quite tough,’ she explained.
In March Gemma began experiencing back pain, however she refused to let it stop her climb Mount Snowdon in May to raise money for the Leeds cancer unit where she was treated.
‘I’m really glad we did it,’ she said. ‘Going up wasn’t too bad, but coming down was more painful.
In March Gemma began experiencing back pain, however she refused to let it stop her climb Mount Snowdon in May
‘The week after the climb the pain in my neck, shoulders and back was unbearable. My shoulders went into spasm and were totally uneven and my head was kind of twisted.’
In July she underwent her usual scans, however they didn’t scan her whole body, which meant they missed the tumours which had begun to grow in her spine and caused her vertebrae to collapse.
Gemma was told she was progressing so well that her scans would go from being every three months to every 12 months – which could have proved catastrophic.
Luckily she was seeing a private physiotherapist for her neck and back pain, who advised her to have a private MRI scan done.
‘This is what picked up the tumours in my spine,’ she explained. ‘I had been to the GP, A&E and even a chiropractor with the pain, but he was the only one to realise the seriousness of the situation.
‘He worked at Leeds General Infirmary in the spinal injuries unit for several years, and I think he literally saved my life and stopped me being paralysed.’
Gemma, pictured with friends, climbed Mount Snowdon to raise money for the Leeds cancer unit which had treated her and will be doing so again
Gemma underwent major surgery on her spine, which took seven hours, during which they removed the tumours and collapsed vertebrae and relieved pressure on her spinal cord
The scan showed the tumours growing on her spine and in her stomach, and Gemma was dealt the heartbreaking blow that they were secondary cancer and incurable.
‘It was devastating,’ she said. ‘I had read the week before about how secondary cancer is rarely curable, so I did have an idea that this could be the outcome, but it was very hard news to hear.
‘My biggest fear is it stays in my spine and causes more collapse, which could result in paralysis.’
At this stage doctors are unable to give Gemma, pictured in hospital, a prognosis
Gemma underwent major surgery on her spine, which took seven hours, during which they removed the tumours and collapsed vertebrae and relieved pressure on her spinal cord.
At this stage doctors are unable to give Gemma a prognosis. She will undergo another CT scan this month to check if it’s spread any further and a course of three weeks of chemotherapy, followed by three months off before the cycle is repeated.
‘Sadly I will lose my hair with this type of chemotherapy,’ Gemma said.
‘My life as it was has currently stopped, but I have been staying pretty positive. Knowing how close I was to being a quadraplegic, as the damaged vertebrae were so high up, makes me extremely grateful to be able to still move around and I managed to get back to the gym last week.
Gemma is self-employed as a contractor in project support, and had just secured a new role with the Department of Health when she received the news her cancer had returned, which meant she had to quit after just a few days in the job.
‘It’s weird having to apply for benefits, as I have always worked and been financially independent, so that has taken some getting used to,’ she admitted.
‘My friends and family have been amazing – I’m actually really overwhelmed by all the love and support I have received. I have stayed with my parents while recovering from the spine surgery and they have been great.
The ordeal has also seen Gemma get back together with her ex Ricky Moore, 39, whom she dated for 14 years before breaking up in December 2017. Pictured together last week at her first session back at the gym – the day after she received the news about her cancer being incurable
‘Having to phone them to tell them I had cancer twice has been by far the hardest thing to do in this whole thing.’
The ordeal has brought her and ex Ricky Moore, 39, back together, after they dated for 14 years before breaking up in December 2017.
‘We did remain on quite good terms most of the time,’ Gemma said. ‘He was very supportive with the first diagnosis, and over the last six weeks we have reconciled.
‘He has been amazingly supportive throughout this whole thing, he has a heart of gold.’
People have already donated more than £8,000 to help Gemma out now she is no longer able to work
Gemma’s friends Rachael Harrison and Sarah Brown started up a JustGiving page to raise funds for her to cover rent and day-to-day expenses – and tick off some activities on her bucket list – now she is no longer able to work, which has already raised over £8,000.
‘I was kind of against the idea at first as like I said, I have always worked and been financially independent and didn’t want to be seen as a charity case,’ Gemma admitted.
‘But the way Rachael and Sarah worded the page didn’t make it feel like that, and I have been totally overwhelmed by the response to the page and really, really grateful for people’s genorosity and support.’
To donate to Gemma’s page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraising-for-gemma.
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