Mum-of-two urges everyone to 'make looking after your health a present to yourself' this Christmas

A mum-of-two from Salford is reminding people to make time for their health this festive season as she marks her fourth Christmas since her cancer diagnosis.

Kathy Morse, 57, from Walkden, was diagnosed with vaginal cancer on December 4, 2020.

She faced a difficult Christmas waiting for her surgery in the New Year.

As she prepares to celebrate another Christmas, Kathy wants to remind everyone to make time for themselves and their health during the festive period.

She said: “Everyone is very busy at this time of year. I sometimes hear people saying ‘I don’t have time to be ill’, but everyone makes time to buy and wrap presents. Looking after your health should be a present to yourself all year around.

“You should never be too busy to get yourself checked out if you have symptoms that you are worried about. I wouldn’t be here this Christmas if I hadn’t made that appointment.”

Kathy, a former teaching assistant, originally went to her GP feeling dizzy but tests couldn’t find anything wrong. Then she discovered a lump in her vagina and went back to her GP for a check-up. She was sent for a biopsy and later discovered she had cancer.

Kathy went on to have surgery in early 2021, followed by an intense programme of radiotherapy and chemotherapy so she also sympathises with anyone currently undergoing or waiting for cancer treatment at Christmas.

She said: “I wore my ‘Mrs Claus’ hat to my pre-op appointment. It felt a bit strange, but it really cheered the staff up and that put a smile on my face.

“I wanted to keep a sense of normality and do what I would normally do! I had Christmas day with my mum and my grown-up daughter and we didn’t really talk about my cancer diagnosis on Christmas day.

“I would say to anyone facing