A brave mother-of-two has detailed her heartbreaking battle with cancer after being given just months to live after being misdiagnosed with her illness after feeling tired.
Chanelle Moles, 34, from Fremantle in Western Australia, received the devastating news in late 2020 that she had stage four colon cancer.
She had spent the past year being told her severe fatigue was due to low iron levels, hormonal imbalances and postnatal depression following the birth of her second child.
Ms Moles said she would be bedridden for days after simply going for a walk, but thought her tiredness could be due to looking after a young baby and toddler.
“My fatigue was frustrating and took a toll on family and my relationship with my husband Graham,” she wrote in a blog about her trip.
After urging doctors to investigate her symptoms further, she was referred for a colonoscopy, which found a tumor in her colon and was told the cancer had spread to her liver.
As of February this year, she was given six to 18 months to live.
Chanelle Moles, 34, (pictured with family and two young children) from Fremantle, Western Australia, received the devastating news that she had stage four colon cancer in late 2020
The 34-year-old had to undergo countless surgeries and chemotherapy in the fight against cancer
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that within 5 years of becoming a mother, I would be told I didn’t have much longer to live,” the mother said.
“Every day I wake up, I wish I could just ‘wake up’ from this nightmare and see that it was all just a dream.”
Following her cancer diagnosis in 2020, Ms Moles spent 13 months in and out of hospital undergoing multiple surgeries and invasive chemotherapy.
In July last year, her body couldn’t keep up with the chemo, but scans showed patches on her liver were still there.
She tried CyberKnife, which uses a robotic radiation therapy machine, and in November, with a brief glimmer of hope, learned that her pimples were gone and she was in remission.
But the joy was short-lived and just days before last Christmas, Ms Moles was told that the cancer had now spread to her abdominal cavity, ovaries and abdomen.
The young mother was told in February this year that she had between six and 18 months to live
Ms Moles says she is a “fighter” and determined to beat her illness
She described the news as “snatched back into the nightmare”.
“While everyone was eating (Christmas) ham, I was wondering if I’d be here for Santa’s next flyby,” she said.
Then came another operation where Ms Moles was told all of the cancer would be removed and she would be left with a “clean slate”.
But when she woke up, she sadly found that was not the case and was given only a few months to live.
Ms Moles has regularly updated loved ones on her journey.
Ms Moles, supported by her husband Graham, has sponsored a fundraiser to help her undergo potentially life-saving treatment in the United States
“I have the chance to be here and see how my children grow up and get older than 34 years,” said the mother
The 34-year-old was promised what could be her next chance at a long and healthy life for peptide replacement therapy in Houston, Texas.
But the costs of the procedure are lengthy and her loved ones have started GoFundMe to help Ms Moles get the treatment she needs.
She said she saw the story of another person with cancer who was “saved” after receiving treatment despite being given three months to live.
“I have a chance to be here and see my kids grow up and get past 34,” she said.
“If you can find it in your heart and within your means to help, please do so. Not just for me, but for my children. I don’t want to leave her, not yet.
Ms Moles said she put on a brave face for her children
“I love life and will do anything to fight for mine.”
Her goal of $150,000 was reached in just three days, with Ms Moles sharing her gratitude on Instagram on Saturday.
“This is all so surreal, the nightmare of the last 18 months… this energy has turned into such positivity through all your love and kindness,” she said.
She will now head to the US on May 13 to undergo the potentially life-saving treatment, which could take six to nine months.
Her family hopes that the nightmare is finally over.
“I was certainly blown away by being told I had a few months to live, but I am a fighter and will not be defeated,” Ms Moles said.
Ms Moles will fly to the US on May 13 for treatment which she hopes will put an end to her nightmare