Mum who beat cancer twice taking on Race for Life

Gemma Hawley and her daughter are taking on Race for Life

A Coventry mother who beat cancer twice is set to lead Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life after reaching the finals of Miss Great Britain.

Gemma Hawley became the youngest person in the UK to have a double mastectomy aged 23, after doctors told her that intense treatment for blood cancer would give her a three-in-four chance of developing breast cancer and could leave her infertile.

Thanks to life-saving surgery and drugs, Ms Hawley, now 41, went on to have two healthy children.

But her world fell apart a second time when a routine smear test uncovered cervical cancer in 2018.

Ms Hawley had 18 operations to save her life and rebuild her body

Ms Hawley was first diagnosed with cancer shortly after her 21st birthday in 2003, after noticing a lump on her neck.

She put her exhaustion down to partying and working long hours at a recruitment company, but went to the GP after she started losing weight.

Tests showed a shadow on her chest was stage two Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer that had spread to her neck.

"I was allergic to one of the chemotherapy drugs so I had to switch to one they said could make me infertile,” she said.

“There wasn’t time to harvest any eggs, so I just got on with it.

“I was also told the radiotherapy to my chest and neck would give me a three in four chance of getting breast cancer in the future, so a bilateral mastectomy was recommended.

"By then it was a relief to think that was something I could eliminate,” added Gemma, who had the surgery in 2006 and married in 2007.

After having two children, the last thing Gemma expected was a call back from the hospital following a routine smear test in 2018.

“I was devastated when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer,” said Gemma.

“This wasn’t one of the several organs I’d been told I was at risk of developing cancer in future, so it was a huge shock.

"It was absolutely terrifying but so rewarding and empowering as a woman."

After recovering from a surgical complication that almost claimed her life and left her with more permanent scars, Ms Hawley decided to enter last year’s Miss Great Britain contest to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK.

She reached the final of the category for older women, braving the catwalk in a swimsuit.

“I got involved in Miss Great Britain to raise the profile of Cancer Research UK as a charity ambassador,” she said.

"I’ve had 18 surgeries so I’m not particularly body confident... I wanted to be able to stand on stage and feel proud.

"It was absolutely terrifying but so rewarding and empowering as a woman."

“I got involved in Miss Great Britain to raise the profile of Cancer Research UK as a charity ambassador,” Ms Hawley said

Ms Hawley had 18 operations to save her life and rebuild her body, including major surgery to remove her womb and cervix in 2018.

The Coventry mother puts her survival down to the expertise of her doctors, and is passionate about research into newer drugs and treatments.

Ms Hawley is teaming up with her daughter, 12-year-old Macy, to launch the charity's Race for Life on Saturday 18 May at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

"I’m the least athletic person in the world, but doing Race for Life last year was so much fun and it’s a great way to raise money,” the 41-year-old said.

“I’m delighted Macy wants to do it with me this year. If it wasn’t for research, that would never have been an option so it’s vitally important that people support events like this.

"Knowing that I’ve got a future with my children, that I can see them go to university, that I could become a grandparent and live out my life, is amazing."