A mother of two was told by her doctor that the unrelenting pain in her back was due to the fact that she had been bending down to pick up her kids. However, it soon turned out that it was not the case and now she has only a limited time to spend with them .
Jennifer McNeill, 34, revealed that her ordeal had allegedly started when she began experiencing a stabbing pain in her neck which rendered her unable to walk. The Scotland native reportedly went to her doctor who suggested that she sign up for a three-week physiotherapy course.
"The pain was so bad that it forced me to the ground and my partner had to lift me up because I could not stand up," McNeill said per The Sun. "I went to the hospital and they put it down as muscular pain."
"I was in complete agony for months," she added saying that the pain had started when her son Aiden was only one and her daughter, Millie, was two. "The doctors said I had probably strained it whilst lifting them. It went on for months and got so severe that I could barely walk."
However, according to McNeil, the pain only got worse. Seeking out another opinion, she underwent several tests which revealed that the cause of her pain came from stage four breast cancer that had latched itself onto her spine. According to McNeil, her doctors told her that they were unable to operate to remove the cancer as it had already spread and was terminal.
"I just couldn't believe that after many visits to the hospital and to many doctors that it was terminal cancer and it was too late to do anything," she said after receiving her diagnosis. "It had already spread to my back and I haven't had any issues with my breasts."
According to the woman, she was forced to seek private medical help to get an MRI which revealed that she had two fractures in her spine. Shortly after, McNeil stated that she began to experience the same searing pain down her legs and was unable to pass a urine test. In July 2021 she officially checked herself into the A&E department at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
The doctors at the hospital ordered a CT scan and discovered that a cancerous tumor had developed on McNeil's spine. The news prompted the woman to worry about how much time she had left with her kids. "As soon as I was diagnosed I didn't know if I would see the next couple of weeks. I was scared, they were babies at the time," she said regarding her kids. "There were plans I was making ahead, family holidays and looking into schools.
"I was devastated and in shock. I never thought I had cancer, because obviously it never showed up when I had my scans and when I went private so there were lots of unanswered questions that I had," she added. According to McNeil, she underwent several rounds of chemo and even attempted to use a new chemo drug called Enhertu.
McNeil stated that she didn't initially tell her kids about the dire prognosis. "By telling them that I have a sore back they know that I won't be able to lift them and it is the truth because I am restricted to what I can do," she said. "You don't want to tell them that you have cancer and that you have got a terminal illness and a timeline."
The woman has since stated that her world has "been turned upside down" by the revelation. "All I can do it put on a brave face and pretend I'm okay for the sake of my children."
"I don't want to scare them, but the sad reality is this is how they know their mummy," she said. "They expect me to be in bed, to be in pain and to be unable to walk. This is our life now." According to McNeil, she wants to "live each day to the max for my children, but I can't due to pain and mobility. It kills me."
"I have so many wonderful people in my life who have supported me so much," she wept referring to the $39,000 raised by her family on her JustGiving page over the course of her cancer journey. "Honestly, if love could save me, I'd be cured already."
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