News / Crowdfunding
Woman battles breast cancer during pregnancy
A police officer from Portishead has raised more than £10,000 for Cots for Tots after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer just three months into her pregnancy.
Heidi Loughlin, who works for the Metropolitan Police and has recently moved back to her hometown just west of Bristol, set up a Just Giving campaign called ‘Bald for Babies’ with her friend Cathy to raise money for the infant special care unit at St Michael’s Hospital, a cause that couldn’t be closer to her heart.
Back in September Heidi was advised by doctors to abort her unborn child following a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer, but instead chose to undergo less intensive chemotherapy in the hope of delivering a healthy and happy third child.
Going through with the pregnancy means that Heidi will have to give birth prematurely in order for her to receive potentially life-saving treatment, and her baby will spend at least three months in neonatal care at St Michael’s before the family can finally be together in their Portishead home.
The typical prognosis for Heidi’s particular form of breast cancer is two to five years, but the 32-year-old is determined to keep fighting for her children and put her energy into positive things.
Her Just Giving page and blog have garnered a wave of support from people around the globe, with more admiring comments on her bravery and upbeat attitude appearing every day.
Heidi’s chronicling of her life-changing experience in witty, swear-word-ridden blog posts entitled things like ‘Shitty Titty Bang Bang’ and ‘Oh for Fuck Sake I’ve Got Cancer’ have inspired and impressed readers in equal measure, causing her eye-wateringly honest accounts of dealing with such an aggressive illness to go viral.
Evidence of her strength and positivity can be found on her fundraising page too, and may account for some of the hundreds of donations that have flooded in. She explains: “I have recently been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. It’s rare and aggressive but so am I! Rather than sit here and cry about life being shit, I’m just getting on with it.”
For more information on how you can donate, visit www.justgiving.com/Heidi-Loughlin.
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