Woman goes from planning own funeral to Team GB

Laura says her life collapsed when she found out she had cancer

A triathlete who planned her funeral after being diagnosed with rectal cancer has been chosen to represent Wales and Team GB.

The journey back to fitness has been a long one for Laura Butcher from Porthcawl, Bridgend county, but it’s also been a lifeline.

Now cancer-free, Laura has been selected to compete in the British Aquathon Championships and World Triathlon Age-Group Championships.

“It sounds strange, but cancer was the making of me,” she said.

It was back in August 2020 while training for her first triathlon, that Laura started to suspect something was wrong.

“I was out triathlon training, getting ready for my first ever race when I fell off my bike," she said.

"I broke my collarbone, and that’s when everything started.

"I was put on medication and it made me constipated. It was a natural side effect of being on the meds.”

But after a few weeks, Laura became more concerned.

“I started bleeding when I was going to the toilet," she said.

"My mum had bowel cancer back in 2010, so I went to the doctor knowing the sort of symptoms to look out for.

"I was a bit overdramatic and was like 'I think I've got bowel cancer, can I be tested?'"

The test came back negative, but the symptoms continued.

In July 2021, after months of tests, Laura received the news she had been dreading.

“The doctor held my hand and said ‘I’m really sorry Laura, you’ve got rectal cancer’," she said.

"It was totally unexpected. And I just remember... my whole life just collapsing.”

Despite having to go through chemotherapy, Laura remained positive

For months, nobody could tell Laura what stage her cancer had reached.

She started preparing for the worst.

“In my head, I thought, 'right, I've got to prepare because it must mean I'm dying'," she said.

"So I sat down and planned my funeral, from start to end which was just horrific."

Laura’s treatment started soon after her diagnosis in July 2021.

“In August I started IVF treatment to save my eggs because I don’t have any children," she said.

This was followed by radiotherapy to shrink the tumour, then five months of chemotherapy.

After an operation to remove the tumour, Laura was left with a temporary stoma bag.

The surgeon told her that the fitter she was, the more likely she’d survive, she said.

“I took the advice literally, I trained a ridiculous amount, day and night," she said.

"I was exhausted but that was the only way I knew how to deal with the cancer because in my head, if I was training I kind of didn’t have cancer.

"I didn’t know how far gone the cancer was and whether I’d survive.

"I thought 'well there’s one last thing I’m going to do whether I survive or not, I’m going to do a race'."

Laura fought cancer by training as hard as she could

Laura completed her first triathlon in September 2022, a week before she had her stoma reversal.

The next summer she took part in a half Ironman challenge.

Six days after the half Ironman she completed a race that meant she qualified for team Wales

Since then, the amateur athlete has been selected to represent Wales at the British Aquathon Championships, which takes place in July.

And this autumn she is due to take part in the World Triathlon Age Group Championships in Spain, competing for Great Britain in the 40 to 44 age group.

The last few years have been challenging for Laura, but she said she was looking to the future.

“Would I want cancer again? Absolutely not," she said.

"But if I did, I definitely know how to deal with it better, but I think the cancer sort of spurred me on to do things I didn’t think were possible.

“Nobody knows how you're going to deal with cancer and it either makes or break you. And I just remember thinking 'if I am going to die, I don't want to look back and be like, well, I just sat here and cried'.

"I’m looking forward to representing Wales, wearing a triathlon suit with a big Welsh dragon on it, who wouldn’t want to do that?”