A MUM who thought her back pain was from sitting at a desk all day was later diagnosed with incurable cancer.
Izzie Collins spent months putting her constant aches down to poor posture and being stationary for too long.
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But in April 2024, the 30-year-old was delivered the life-changing news that she has stage four neuroendocrine tumours.
These develop in cells of the neuroendocrine system and affect around 6,000 people every year in the UK.
Izzie, from Stockton, County Durham, told The Sun: “I’m taking each day as it comes.
“Some days the pain is debilitating and I can’t believe how much my life has changed in the blink of an eye.”
The mum-of-two first started to experience pain in her back late last year.
She assumed it was from sitting at her desk at work, doing housework, or carrying her youngest daughter.
Izzie, mum to Kaiya, 10, and one-year-old Violet, even swapped her mattress thinking that could be the cause.
But a blood test revealed her pain was actually a symptom of cancer.
Further scans showed she has “numerous tumours” on her spine, which are “dangerously close to her spinal cord”.
“Unfortunately for our best friend, it has spread from her pancreas to the bone,” pal Nieve Woodhouse, 24, said.
Izzie, who still lives in “excruciating pain”, is hoping to urge others to get any symptoms they experience checked out early.
She said: “Last year before Christmas, I thought I’d pulled my back one day.
“It got better over the next few weeks, but it started to hurt again a short time later.
“Because I’d not long been working from home, I thought it was from not sitting correctly at my desk.
“Then added into it, I’d not long had my daughter Violet, so I thought it could also be from carrying her.”
She reduced her hours at work and started going to the gym in an attempt to strengthen her back muscles.
“In the end, I couldn’t sleep and was burning my back with hot water bottles so severely that I lost all sensation on one side,” Izzie said.
Izzie has been in excruciating pain and over the past few months has shown unbelievable strength and positivity
Nieve Woodhouse
It wasn’t until doctors carried out blood tests that she learnt the truth.
Izzie is currently having monthly injections to stop the tumours from growing and scans every three to five months to monitor her progress.
She has also been offered radiotherapy in two of the areas causing her the most pain.
Nieve and her sister Emily, 29, have launched a GoFundMe to help Izzie through treatment as she has had to give up work.
‘DOESN’T FEEL REAL’
“No matter how small of a donation, it will help towards her not having to worry about finances during this really difficult time,” Nieve said.
“Izzie has been in excruciating pain and over the past few months has shown unbelievable strength and positivity.
“She is the most kind-hearted, caring, selfless, thoughtful, generous person you will ever meet, who is now facing the toughest fight of her life.
“We will fight this battle with her and do anything and everything we possibly can to help.”
Izzie said: “On the days where I feel more able, I make the most of it with my family and friends.
“I don’t think it’ll ever feel real knowing I’ll never be cancer free.
“It’s something I’ve got to learn to live with.
“What matters most is that I get my pain under control and continue to be positive about the future.
“My family and friends have literally been my life line through this all I really couldn’t do it without them.”
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Symptoms of a neuroendocrine tumour
A neuroendocrine tumour affects the cells that release hormones into the bloodstream.
They can develop in many different organs in the body, so symptoms can vary.
A tumour in the digestive system, for example, may cause diarrhoea, constipation or stomach pains, while one in the lung could trigger wheezing or a persistent cough.
Sometimes, tumours can cause large amounts of hormones to be released into the bloodstream and cause cramps, low blood sugar, changes in blood pressure and heart problems.
Treatment will depend on several factors, but it often involves medicine called somatostatin analogues, which is injected every 28 days.
Embolisation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and radiofrequency ablation can also be used to shrink a tumour or stop it growing.
Around 6,000 people are diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer every year in the UK. Survival rates vary hugely.
Source: NHS, Cancer Research UK and Neuroendocrine Cancer UK