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Rosie's cancer story
Rosie Kilburn is fighting a very public battle with liver cancer.
She’s been sharing the ups and downs of her treatment through an online blog, letting her readers go with her on a journey full of hope and despair.
There have already been more than 40,000 hits on her site. Now Rosie has agreed to turn her blog into a report for BBC Inside Out West.
In many ways Rosie is just like any other teenager – she’s studying for her A levels at a school in rural Gloucestershire, she works part-time in a chocolate shop, has a brother and a sister and a boyfriend called Toby who she describes as "amazing".
But alongside all that 'normal stuff' she’s been fighting a huge battle with cancer.
Every time she thinks the doctors may have made some progress there seems to be another setback.
She’s been forced to grow up very quickly, contemplating her own mortaility at a time when most teenagers only have thoughts for their futures.
Above all Rosie’s blog reveals her determination not to give in and to maintain a positive mental attitude.
Rosie’s big theme is that cancer should not be a taboo subject. She wants to get it out there. She wants to talk about it. Cancer, she says, is not about the suffering – it’s about the surviving.
Alongside her treatment, Rosie has been running a range of projects to raise money for further research. As well as taking part in charity runs, she’s persuaded artists to donate some of their work for an auction and she’s launched a range of t-shirts with provocative slogans about cancer.
She hopes the fledgling t-shirt business can grow into something much bigger to make a real difference. -
ROSIE KILBURN'S BLOGS
EXTRACTS FROM ROSIE'S BLOG POSTS...
My name is Rosie Kilburn, I’m 17 and I have cancer.
How do you tell people that? I live about an hour away from QE hospital in Birmingham so first choice was my phone; luckily, cancer is already on predictive text.
It all started the summer of 2007; I was having pains in my right hand side and went to see countless doctors, who diagnosed me with everything from indigestion to pneumonia. There was even one woman who appeared to be convinced that I was lying; I hope the receptionist spat in her tea.
I was finally diagnosed, on February 1st 2008, with Hepatocellular Fibrolamellar Carcinoma, which is described as an uncommon malignant neoplasm of the liver. Which, I spose, sounds quite fancy but I don't want to pretend I’m any different from the millions of other people who have some sort of cancer.
Since then I’ve had two liver resections, a lung biopsy, an ablation, a TransArterial ChemoEmbolisation (TACE) and a right hemicolectomy. I am awaiting more appointments for the next two operations that I need on my lung and liver. I was also investigated for a live liver transplant, back in jan 09, but due to more cancerous nodules being found in various places that wasn’t able to go ahead.
Apart from all that hype I live a normal everyday life, with my family, at home in Gloucestershire. I have a 15 year old, autistic, brother called Calum and a, thoroughly irritating, 10ish year old sister called Sylvie. My mum (Jo), dad (Chris) and boyfriend (Toby) are amazing people who really keep my days entertained with old time stories and many family christmasses.
I have a part-time job at Tesco…
I’m currently in sixth form at Newent Community School studying an array of subjects, although I have no idea where I want to be in 5/10 years time. Im considering a mixture of career choices ranging from being a director to owning a business. Think big…
Diagnosis
September 16, 2009
When you get diagnosed with cancer you kinda become numb… and nothing seems ‘real’. It doesn't become ‘real’ right up until you have the anaesthetic put in and by then you’re asleep so it doesn't even matter. The waiting is much worse than the actual procedures.. Especially the first time because you have no idea what to expect and you try and trick yourself into thinking you’re not nervous when you get wheeled down... The emotional side of losing your hair and thinking that your body hates you, etc, is so much worse than the physical stuff – which can include vomit(!).
But never mind that, just make sure you have a laugh; ’I can't do the washing up... I've got cancer!’ Etc. Believe me, I’m milking that as far as I can.. Did not work to let us in the common room today though :S Mrs Cooney is one hard nut!
Also... Don't worry about everyone else. They can sort themselves out. Don't worry about how you are making them feel, worry about yourself and getting you better. If they want to be upset then let them be upset - They will no doubt let you be! It is okay to cry together. Just as long as you understand that if someone is in a certain mood then it might be because of cancer and that's okay.
Your first priority is you...
First orderrrr!
August 26, 2009
Today I wrapped and addressed my very first tshirt order!! Eeee!
Ready in the outbox (hah) to be sent off asap..Will probably get dad to do it.
Still not sorted out the space issue… There is 6 boxes of tshirts and not enough room in my room – Too many clothes.
I think I will probably, definitely, build myself a shed…Or at least get dad and Toby to build me a shed. Well, I’ve got cancer I can't go building sheds. It will work kinda like a warehouse type thing, I guess... Quite the business woman me...
Just thought
July 31, 2009
I might be cancer free….. :O
Although I'm not gonna believe it untill I see the scan… and then I probably wont even believe it then and will have to wait till the next scan.
But... I guess I don't even really believe I've got cancer anyway!! Hah, its hard to connect the word with the body...
Hospital
June 5, 2009
Mm... Went to hospital today to have pre ops and stuff ready for next week. We saw doctors and nurses and Dan the oncologist man..He said that the ablation has a high success rate etc and he was real positive and stuff…
And then we went and saw the other guy who was doing it – I think he was a radiographer – and he said:
‘It is possible but unlikely I’ll get all of it.’
To be honest.. I've never felt more like I was going to die.
Hum..Yvonne (the nurse) said to go with Dan because he knows the whole picture and this other guy did seem a bit flustered and stuff...
We really need treatment and equipment to move on in the world.
EXTRACTS COURTESY AND COPYRIGHT OF ROSIE KILBURN -
Video - Rosie's story
Sorry, you must enable Javascript to display media contentThe inspirational teenager fighting against cancer and launching a T-shirt campaign.
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Rosie types her blog posts
Credits
- Presenter
- Josie d'Arby
