Marathon marked end of a tough year for Fiona

WHEN mum-of-two Fiona Aldworth took part in the London Marthon at the weekend, it was much more than a running challenge for her.

- by LEWIS CLARKE

It marked the end of a difficult 12 months and the start of a new chapter of better health.

Before February 2024, Fiona, 37, from Hemyock, describes her health as “pretty good,” though she sometimes experienced fatigue. She put this down to her busy lifestyle running the family farm and looking after her two young children.

But everything changed after a blood donation appointment in December 2023.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to donate due to low iron levels. I was advised to book an appointment with my GP for blood tests,” she said. “It was at this appointment that I mentioned I could feel a lump in my abdomen.

“I had been aware of this lump for possibly up to 12 months but I brushed it off and thought to myself it was probably a hernia and nothing to worry about. It was complete coincidence that two or three days later I felt very unwell, feverish, sick and not quite sure what to do with myself.

“I contacted my GP again and fortunately saw the same doctor I'd seen a couple days earlier, in which time the lump had become sore and was protruding all the time.”

She ended up in Musgrove Hospital where CT scans showed a large cyst in the head of her pancreas.