A mum-of-six who has been given just six months to live, has spoken out after she thought she simply had a blood clot.
Holly Blake went to A&E with breathlessness and a persistent pain in her leg, but an x-ray revealed she had metastasised cancer in her lungs, which had already spread throughout her body.
The 35-year-old, from Edinburgh, has given up her job as a digital facilitator as she undergoes her third round of chemotherapy at the city’s Western General Hospital.
After an ineffective second round of chemotherapy, Holly was told she has a ‘maximum of six months’ to live.
Holly, who had no health issues before her devastating diagnosis, said: “We had no idea and I had no symptoms.
“I thought I had a blood clot in my leg and I got sent for an x-ray, then they found my lungs were full of metastasised cancer.
“It’s small blue cell sarcoma. It’s a rare kind of sarcoma that’s spread through my lymph nodes to my calves.
“By the end of that week we knew the full picture.
“I’m in hospital just now finishing my third round of chemo.
“Unfortunately the last round wasn’t effective.
“If this doesn’t work I’m looking at a few months to live - or maximum six months.
“Either way my prognosis isn’t great, it’s stage four. This is management, rather than get rid of it. It was just total shock and disbelief.
“It was the absolute last thing I would’ve expected. I’ve not had any health or lung problems. I don’t drink either.”
Holly’s family have rallied round to support her and help look after her six children - Eli, 17, Poppy 14, twins Daisy and Pippa, ten, and her youngest twins Edward and Primrose, two.
She added: "My family are just in bits. I have six young children and my youngest twins will be three next month. How do you get your head around that - it’s life changing stuff.
“Everybody’s been amazing. I’ve had so much support and everybody’s pulled together.
“My little two have a different dad and he’s looking after them by himself and has given up his job. I hope to do some nice things with the kids before I die.”
Holly is hoping to hear in the next few days if her third round of chemotherapy has been successful.
She has arranged for Edward and Primrose to live with their dad Niccolas Scott, 32, and the other children will live with her mum Diane Blake, 53.
Holly heaped praise on NHS staff for the care she has received in hospital, despite come cancer patients facing delays in receiving appointments and treatment.
She said: “The NHS have been amazing, it’s all happened so quickly.
“I didn’t experience any delays whatsoever.
“They were super accommodating and tried to make sure my mum could be with me.”
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