Poulton mum given six weeks to live after devastating cancer diagnosis now thriving thanks to man's best friend

A Poulton mum who was given just six weeks to live after a shocking cancer diagnosis is seizing life by the reins five years on.
Joanna Porter from A Dogs-Tail with dogs Star and Bailey.Joanna Porter from A Dogs-Tail with dogs Star and Bailey.
Joanna Porter from A Dogs-Tail with dogs Star and Bailey.

Joanna Porter, 44, was told to ‘put her affairs in order’ by a doctor after being diagnosed with high-grade lymphoma of the stomach in August 2015.

She was offered chemotherapy - but was warned that there was little chance of it being successful.

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But she decided to pursue the gruelling treatment for the sake of her daughter, 24-year-old Natasha.

Now she sits firmly at the head of her own dog-training and pet shop business, A Dogs-Tail - and is planning a big dog walk with her faithful clients to raise money for Cancer Research in the hope of helping others like herself.

Joanna, who lives on Brockholes Crescent, said: “At the beginning, it was hard. It was really hard. It was just me and my daughter against the world, and she couldn’t take time of work to help me, so I was on my own most of the time. I had to deal with it on my own.

“That was really difficult, especially on the days where I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t do anything. It was horrific.

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“But as time went on, because I live on my own, I had to get on with things.”

Despite her grim prognosis, fighter Joanna stunned doctors and nurses at Blackpool Victoria Hospital by reacting well to the chemotherapy, which she received in eight sessions every three weeks.

But one year later, she was hit with another bombshell, as she was declared fit for work and faced the plunge back into the job market while still undergoing treatment.

“I didn’t have a job to go to, so I was turning up to job interviews with no hair, crying my eyes out,” she said. “I was so depressed. I hated it.

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“I thought why am I doing this to myself? And that’s where the plan to start my own business developed.”

Inspired by her own furry friend Bailey, who Joanna said never left her side throughout her illness, she set up A Dogs-Tail last year.

As well as training young dogs in good behaviour, she holds regular weekly doggy socialisation and play-date sessions at Midgeland Riding School in Marton.

And though she still faces at least another year of treatment before she can hope to be given the all-clear, Joanna is looking forward to a bright future with the help of new friends - both human and canine - who she has bonded with through her business.

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Joanna said: “I was on end of life care with six weeks to live, but here I am. It was not easy and was the hardest fight I’ve ever faced.

“My boy Bailey gave me strength and never left my side even when I couldn’t get out of bed, he was my hot water bottle when I was cold and my reason to live.

“I feel now that I’m in a better place that where I have been previously.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, everyone around me disappeared. Thanks to this doggy business I have built up some friendships with other people and they have all got behind me.

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“When I told them I wanted to raise money for Cancer Research because I wanted to give something back, I asked if I did something would they do it with me, and they all said yes.

“It has given me the confidence to move on.”

JOANNA'S BIG CHARITY GOAL

Joanna’s charity dog walk in aid of Cancer Research will set off from Blackpool’s North Pier on Sunday, April 12, at noon and conclude at the South Pier.

Her canine clients and their owners will be joining her, donned in Dogs-Tail hoodies and carrying donation buckets.

She said: “I have always wanted to do something to raise many because every one in two people will get cancer during their lifetime.

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“The numbers seem to get greater and greater every year and without a cure cancer is going to wipe us out, and I wanted to do my bit.

“I wanted to raise money so people don’t have to go through what I went through.

“I’d love to raise a huge amount - but I’m aiming for £1,000.

“I do feel lucky because only a very small percentage of people survive the kind of diagnosis that I was given. I think it’s a bit of a miracle.”

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You can find and donate to Joanna’s fund-raiser online at www.fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/a-dogs-tail

WHAT IS LYMPHOMA OF THE STOMACH?

High-grade lymphoma of the stomach is an uncommon form of cancer which occurs in the lymph nodes of the gastrointestinal tract.

Approximately five per cent of the cancers found in the stomach can be attributed to lymphomas.

They most frequently occur in people aged 50 or above - and males are two to three times more likely to be affected than females. People with autoimmune disorders, Coeliac disease, and other chronic infections such as Hep C also face a greater risk.

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Symptoms include upper abdominal pain, sickness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and changes in bowel movements. Some sufferers may also experience vomiting blood, or blood in their faeces.

If the disease is caught early, the chances of somebody with lymphoma of the stomach surviving five years or more remain relatively high, at 91 per cent.

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