Woman, 27, had bowel, bladder and 'whole vagina' removed due to rare tumour
Courtney Blake, 27, suffered from a rare condition that has only targeted 150 other people since the 80s.
The 27-year-old was diagnosed with angiomyxoma, which details a rare type of soft tissue tumour.
The graphic designer had to undergo a 16-hour surgery in November last year which saw her bowel, bladder, uterus and “whole vagina” removed.
The tumour discovered in Courtney’s body was the size of a “cantaloupe”.
The woman, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, said: “I had cancer. I’m not a victim of cancer. I just had it and I’m really trying my hardest to not make it my whole personality, but here we are.
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“It wasn’t a cancer where life was stripped away from me in my late 20s and luckily it doesn’t reign a lifetime of chemotherapy onto me either.”
Cancer Research UK explains that angiomyxoma is not thought of as cancer because it usually grows quite slowly and doesn’t often spread to other parts of the body.
After just 10 days since Courtney received this diagnosis, she had the “major” surgery and spent a week in an intensive care unit.
Her complete recovery lasted six months and included several MRI scans as well as getting used to a colostomy and urostomy bag, dubbed “David Bowel-ie” and “Urethra Franklin”.
The 27-year-old added: “I’m down a uterus, an ovary, a bladder, rectum, colon, anus and a whole vagina.
“My bowel is now in pieces and sits on the outside of my stomach in the form of a colostomy and a urostomy.
“For those not aware of what that means – simply put – I’ll p*** and s*** into bags for the rest of my life.”
Despite the hardship she went through, Courtney has remained positive and humorous.
The graphic designer has now decided to clap back at the condition and take part in Newcastle’s Great North Run in September.
While she doesn’t think she’s a great runner, the woman has been training hard for the 13.1-mile race, where she plans on raising money for Cancer Research UK.
Courtney added: “Cancer Research does fundamental life-saving work to not just try and beat cancer, but to give a support system to those going through it too.
“Anything you can donate will go towards giving someone a better life and I think that in itself is so f****** awesome.
“Cancer has been a pain in my now non-existent arse, but let’s show it who it’s messing with.
“I’ve already had my fight and that b**** got knocked the f up so let’s do it to help the next person.”
Courtney’s fiancé Mac, 26, will be also running at the event, supporting Sarcoma UK.
To visit the 27-year-old’s fundraiser, you can click here: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/courtneys-giving-page-394
