Brave bride Deborah Kinnear went from the high of a perfect wedding day to facing a fierce fight for her life.
Aged just 30, she spotted the first signs of cancer only weeks after returning from an idyllic honeymoon with her new husband Neale. In an instant, all plans for the future most newly weds taken for granted were shaken and replaced by hospital visits then treatment to beat the disease. Today Deborah who is cancer free is backing Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.
It’s an emotional moment as Deborah reveals how love and support helped pull her through the toughest time. Now she’s set to stand shoulder to shoulder with her mum Margaret Cairns, 63, and her sister Nicola McKay, 38, to take part in the Race for Life 5K at Glasgow Green on Sunday 20th May. Together, the three women have written special messages on Race for Life signs to show the importance of banding together. They are encouraging other mums and daughters to follow their lead and sign up to Race for Life at www.raceforlife.org
And this Mother’s Day, 11th March, Deborah knows all too well everything she has to thank her own mum for.
Video: Race For Life video featuring Debbie. Credit: Cancer Research UK
Deborah, now 36, said: “The day I was first told I had cancer I remember asking the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?
“He answered, ‘You might’ which wasn’t exactly the answer I had been expecting. It was a frightening time. There were tears but my mum has been an absolute star every step of the way. Mum being mum, she dropped everything, jumped in the car and drove with dad to be with me. A hug from mum and dad in those early days meant the world. I know I’m lucky to have such amazing parents. Having cancer has made me appreciate how fragile life is, how your health and happiness can be snatched away in an instant.
Photo: Debbie on her wwedding day wwith he husband Neale
Photo: Debbie and her husband Neale with their dog on the beach
As a family, we’re determined to do all that we can to help raise money for life-saving research so more men, women and children can survive cancer. I can’t wait to step up to the start line this spring and help make a real difference in the fight against the disease.”
Dr Deborah Kinnear who is a chartered psychologist at the University of Glasgow recalls vividly the joy of her wedding day on 8th September 2012. Around 200 guests attended the ceremony in a beautiful church in North Berwick, where she wed Neale, 37. Deborah had been going to the gym three or four times a week to get ready for the big day so hadn’t given much thought to feeling a bit tired during wedding preparations.
Deborah said: “The sun shone on our wedding day and it was just perfect in every single way.
“All the special people in our lives who we loved were there to celebrate with us and I kept stopping just to pinch myself and take everything in. My sister was bridesmaid and my husband’s best friend Ghazi flew over from New Zealand to be best man. Neale and I were fixing up a month long trip to New Zealand later that year so stayed on in North Berwick for a few honeymoon days together.
Neale and I had been living and working down south in England but wanted to come home to live in Scotland permanently. It was the start of our married life. There were so many adventures out there. Cancer was the last thing on our minds but the words we’d promised on our wedding day to look after each other in sickness and in health were to be tested to the max.”
It was a shock only two weeks after the wedding day when Deborah discovered a lump in her left breast. She visited her GP who referred her to hospital for tests. On 5th November 2012, it was confirmed that Deborah had breast cancer. She was booked in to Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London for mastectomy surgery before Christmas then travelled back to Scotland to spend Christmas Day with her family in East Kilbride.
Photo: Debbie during treatment for cancer pictured with her husband Neale
Deborah said: “All my friends knew how much I loved having blonde hair.
“When I was little I actually had nightmares about my hair falling out so it was a big issue for me. When my hair started to fall out as a side effect of chemotherapy then Neale helped me shave it off. There was nothing for it but just to embrace it, to accept my hair was gone but that it would grow back. We were newly weds but Neale became my carer over these months. He gets a gold medal for everything he did as he never once complained.”
And Deborah had one special date in mind to keep her going. With a wheelchair pushed along beside her in case she got too tired, Deborah took part in Race for Life Glasgow 2013, only days after completing chemotherapy treatment. Her team of family and friends were called, “Big Toe”- an affectionate nickname which Deborah had been called since her days at primary school. A total of 15 sessions of radiotherapy followed then Deborah who had been diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer began taking the drug Herceptin. Cancer Research UK scientists helped establish the link between some cancer and ‘growth factor receptor’ proteins on the surface of cells- a crucial early step in the development of Herceptin. Cancer Research UK also funded the clinical trials unit where the research showing that Herceptin can improve survival for people with a certain type of breast cancer was completed.
The couple finally got their month-long trip to New Zealand in October 2013 then moved to Scotland permanently in December that year, setting up home in Balfron with their border terrier dog, Martha. And Deborah who recently reached the milestone of being clear of cancer for five years has wise words for anyone today facing the disease.
Deborah said: “Cancer is tough at the start but you’ll get through it.
“The toughest part is being diagnosed and the fear of the unknown. As soon as you have a treatment plan ahead of you then there’s nothing you can’t handle. Don’t be afraid to get help from your friends and family. I am so lucky to have an amazing support network around me and love them all. And afterwards, try not to stress about the silly things in life. If you’re not happy in a job, leave it. If you want to go on that fabulous holiday, go for it. Just do it and love every single moment.”
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress. Every day, 87 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland* and the number of people being diagnosed with cancer has now reached around 31,700 cases each year.
Photo: Deborah (left) thanks her mum Margaret Cairns (centre) & sister Nicola McKay (right) for support
Taking part in Race for Life is a hugely moving experience as people come together to remember loved ones lost to cancer, celebrate the lives of those dear to them who have survived or support those going through treatment. Many women will be taking part in Race for Life with their mums while others will be participating to honour their memory.
Deborah’s mum, Margaret Cairns of East Kilbride said: “I’m so grateful for the treatment that helped my daughter Deborah and I’m so proud to sign up to Race for Life.
“We’ve put a team up every year since Deborah completed treatment for cancer and have raised more than £15,000 in that time. By coming together, we can all do our bit to help beat cancer sooner.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring women-only series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy, half marathon and hiking events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding crucial research. Scotland’s first Race for Life 5K of the year kicks off in Stirling and South Queensferry on 13th May, closely followed by Race for Life Glasgow 5K and 10K on Sunday 20th May at Glasgow Green. There are also 5K, 10K and Pretty Muddy 5K events across the country, everywhere from Fife to Falkirk, Dundee to Irvine.
Lisa Adams,Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “We are very grateful to Deborah and all her family for their support.
“By following their lead, and signing up to Race for Life, women across Scotland can make a real difference in the fight against cancer. Money raised will help Cancer Research UK scientists and doctors find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease, helping save more lives.
“Taking part in Race for Life is a special and unique experience – full of emotion, courage, tears and laughter. By joining like-minded ladies committed to the cause, women can unite against a disease that affects us all in some way. Whether they plan to pound the pavements or amble to the finish line, every step participants take will help to support crucial research.”
Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work relies on the public’s support. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend more than £34 million last year in Scotland on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research – helping more men, women and children survive the disease. Glasgow is home to the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute where scientists are exploring how cancer cells grow, survive and spread.
They are studying the underlying biology that allows cells to develop in to cancer. For example, they are investigating the molecular changes that happen in normal bowel cells that ultimately lead to cancer. Finding out more about this process will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease. In Glasgow an exciting programme of work has also been established to look for ways to tailor treatment for pancreatic cancer.
The researchers in Glasgow and Edinburgh are trying to develop new drugs to target an aggressive type of brain tumour called neuroblastoma.
Race for Life events in Scotland 2018:
- Sunday May 13: Race for Life Stirling 5K, Gannochy sports centre, University of Stirling and Race for Life 5K and 10K, Hopetoun House, South Queensferry
- Sunday May 20: Race for Life Glasgow, 5K and 10K, Glasgow Green
- Sunday May 27: Race for Life Inverness 5K and 10K, Bught Park, Inverness
- Sunday June 10: Race for Life Aberdeen 5K and 10K, Kings Links, Beach Esplanade, Aberdeen
- Wednesday June 13: Race for Life Irvine 5K and 10K, Beach Drive, Irvine
- Sunday June 17: Race for Life Dundee 5K, 10K and Pretty Muddy, Camperdown Park, Dundee and Race for Life Falkirk 5K and 10K, Callendar Park, Falkirk
- Saturday June 23: Pretty Muddy Fife 5K and Pretty Muddy Fife Kids 5K, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy
- Sunday June 24: Race for Life Fife 5K and 10K, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy and Race for Life Edinburgh 5K and 10K, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
- Sunday September 9: Pretty Muddy Glasgow 5K, Pollock Country Park, Glasgow
- Saturday September 22: Pretty Muddy Edinburgh 5K and 10K and Pretty Muddy Kids, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh
- Saturday September 29: Pretty Muddy Ayr 5K, Pretty Muddy Kids, Ayr Racecourse