Woman who had rare deadly cancer at birth graduates with a first 20 years later

Scarlett graduated with a first from Bristol after beating a rare form of cancer

(Picture: Supplied )

A woman who survived a rare, deadly liver cancer shortly after birth has graduated twenty years later, as her parents hailed the “amazing” NHS workers who treated her.

Scarlett Whitford Webb, 21, was diagnosed with Stage 3 hepatoblastoma in April 2002 aged 16 months.

The tumour was the size of a mango by the time of diagnosis after initially being missed by multiple GPs, according to her parents.

Between 10 and 15 children develop hepatoblastoma in the UK each year, according to the Royal Marsden NHS Trust.

In nine out of ten cases, it is discovered before the age of three.

Scarlett was given just a 60 per cent chance of surviving longer than five years and put on an intensive eight-month chemotherapy programme at the Royal Marsden. She also underwent an operation to remove the tumour.

Scarlett during her treatment (Supplied)

Twenty years later, she has graduated with a first in Anthropology from Bristol University and is currently studying for an MA at Durham University.

Her father Stephen Webb, a communications director, said: “We are so proud of Scarlett and what she has achieved given her start in life. She really is one in a million.

“We also want to thank the amazing specialist teams at the Royal Marsden and Kings’ College whose dedication and care means she has bright future ahead of her.

“Hopefully, her story will give hope to other parents who are facing the trauma of having a child with cancer.”