A Suffolk woman who discovered she had bladder cancer during an ultrasound scan to find out the sex of her first baby is set to tackle a half marathon next month raising funds for Cancer Research UK.
Janine Edgar, 44, from Hadleigh, will be taking part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London on Sunday, October 13.
It follows her battle with cancer during the early stages of motherhood after the birth of her healthy baby son, Jonty, who was born early before the growth could cause serious harm.
She said she wants to do whatever she can to "tackle this evil disease". Mrs Edgar also later lost her mother to an acute form of acute myeloid leukaemia.
“Cancer Research UK is doing some of the best work on the planet around targeting the symptoms of bladder cancer, but it’s also up to us to talk about it more,” she said.
“I urge people to get your symptoms checked – there should not be blood in your wee!
“I don’t want anyone to have to go through what we went through – it was supposed to be the best time of our lives but it was so painful to deal with.”
The growth was discovered next to Jonty's head during a 20-week scan at Ipswich Hospital in 2006.
Jonty is now aged 17 and has a sister, Eloise, who is 15.
"I'll never be able to repay the NHS or Cancer Research for saving my life and allowing me to become the mum I always dreamed of, but I'll raise as much as I can and do whatever I can to help both for the rest of my life," Mrs Edgar added.
"I want to show people that a cancer diagnosis, at whatever time in your life, does not define who you are as a person."
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