A woman who is battling a number of incurable diseases that will one day take her life has explained how she stays strong and positive in the darkest of times.
Annie Darby, 62, suffers from secondary breast cancer, which has now spread to her lungs and spine, as well as pulmonary hypertension and has had a number of pulmonary embolisms.
In 2009, she was first diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually beat it. She went on to live an extraordinary life before sadly being told it had come back and spread throughout her body.
In September 2019, she was taken to A&E and later diagnosed with having a pulmonary embolism, which soon led to her contracting pulmonary hypertension.
But Annie hasn't let her illnesses get the better of her and is still living as full a life as she can.
She described her health journey to Grimsby Live, speaking about a number of ups and downs she's faced since first being diagnosed.
She said: "I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009.
"Thankfully, that was all treated over the course of two years and I decided to fulfil my bucket list after getting that particular wake-up call.
"I started travelling the world and did a lot of charity work in South Africa. However, in November 2017, I was in South Africa when I began to notice myself becoming quite wheezy.
"When I got home, I made a trip to the GP and was sent for an X-ray that later revealed my cancer had returned.
"Sadly, it had now spread to my lungs and spine. That was in January 2019 so you could say it wasn't the best start to the year.
"The cancer isn't curable now, but it is treatable. At the time, I was still doing what I could and travelling as much as possible."
However, things would sadly get worse for Annie later that year when she was told she'd suffered a pulmonary embolism.
She explained: "I noticed once more that I was suffering from a shortness of breath and a racing heart.
"After a trip to A&E they told me I'd suffered a pulmonary embolism. I dealt with that for 18 months with anti-coagulants to try and prevent further damage, but sadly I had a repeat of the pulmonary embolism and I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension."
In May 2020, Annie's health took another turn for the worse after she contracted pneumonia. Sadly, because of her secondary cancer, it means she can't have any operations to help treat her illnesses.
However, she said: "I'm not letting my illnesses make me a prisoner and, while I can still manage it, I'll live the fullest life I can.
"Without my husband Paul and colleagues at NAViGO (mental health service in Grimsby) I don't think I'd have ever made it through all this."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
