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Brave gran beats cancer for 11th time after defying the odds

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PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA
PHOTO: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

Wynn Carter (65), from Cheshire in England, was first diagnosed with soft tissue cancer in 1999 after she found a suspicious lump on her thigh.

"I can't imagine my life without cancer I've battled with it for so many years,” she says.

"It started in my leg in 1999 so I'm lucky I've only had to have an amputation now.”

But since her first encounter, Wynn has battled the dread disease a further 10 times, undergoing years of gruelling treatment and surgeries.

"When it came back in 2007 I was devastated.

"It spread to my lungs but as it's a soft tissue cancer known as a sarcoma, I decided to have 30 treatments of radiotherapy.

"Last summer I was told the devastating news that my leg needed to be amputated above the knee.

"It couldn't be saved again and despite the initial shock, I soon got on with things and tried to stay positive,” she says.

Wynn was in remission for eight years before the cancer returned in 2007 – since then it has returned almost every year in her legs and lungs.

"I was told my cancer was terminal as it had spread and the tumours in my lungs were inoperable.

"But I refused to focus on the negative aspects to my diagnosis and kept a smile on my face.

"I have been terminally ill for almost a decade but it hasn't killed me yet.

"I live every day like it's my last and won't ever give up on battling cancer.”

Despite doctors being able to save her leg for almost two decades, the grandmother-of-three was told last July she needed it amputated in order to save her life.

And although Wynn was told by doctors she has just months to live, the upbeat gran has exceeded all expectations by surviving.

She’s been fitted with a prosthetic leg and is now walking again.

Now that the threat has been removed, Wynn hopes to spend some quality time with her grandchildren.

"I may have lost my leg but I'm lucky enough to already have a prosthetic and to be walking again.

"I'm hopeful I'll be able to carry on as normal and spend time with my three grandchildren.

"I'll continue to have scans every three months but at the moment I feel great,” she says.

Wynn will be strutting her stuff on the catwalk next month to support a local cancer support group, Maggie's Centres.

"Maggie's support is amazing, when you have cancer you need as many people around you as possible.

"The centres provide outstanding care and I can't wait to walk on the runway with the other cancer survivors,” Wynn says.

"I hope my story gives others hope and encourages them to never give up.

"I have beaten all the odds of doctors. I should have been gone years ago but I continued to fight and stay positive.

"Nobody knows what the future holds for me but I’ll make the most of every day."

Source: Magazine Features

Pictures: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA

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