When Dawn Clayton, 59, went on holiday back in 2013, her break was far from the restful time she expected.
The nurse from Newport was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.
Once she was back in the UK, her gallbladder was removed but she felt intense pain in her stomach again later that year.
Unfortunately, further tests revealed she had cancerous cysts on her pancreas and Dawn was all too aware of how serious the situation was given her profession.
Pancreatic cancer has shockingly low survival rates, with more than half of those diagnosed with the disease losing their lives within three months.
Furthermore, the cancer doesn’t often show early warning signs which leaves many patients undiagnosed until after it has spread when life-saving treatment is no longer an option.
Luckily, Dawn was diagnosed early enough to have surgery.
The operation was a success, but Dawn still had to go through gruelling “mop up” chemotherapy treatment.
The woman underwent three treatments every month for almost half a year.
Following this ordeal, the 59-year-old was given the all-clear and decided to return to university for a year so she could get back to her nursing career.
However, the excruciating pain in her stomach returned one day while she was working at her local hospital.
She told Wales Online: “I was distraught. It was just two months after my five-year surveillance scan.
“I called my professor in Newcastle, and I returned immediately for more investigations. We both couldn’t believe it.”
Unfortunately, the cancerous cysts returned and Dawn had to have her entire pancreas and spleen removed in 2021.
However, Dawn has learned to adapt to life without these organs and has even decided to hike her way across the Alps to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
She plans to climb over 43,000 ft across the Alps in just 10 days in an attempt to raise money for research into new treatments and quicker diagnosis times.
Dawn and her husband will begin their trek in Oberstdorf, Germany this August and their final destination will be Merano, Italy, which is 150 kilometres from their starting point.
While the trek would represent a demanding task for most, Dawn will have even more obstacles as she will have to carry her medication, extra food, glucose monitor and insulin pump.
Despite the high altitude, fluctuating temperatures and intense exercise posing a challenge for her blood sugar levels, the woman remains determined to improve public and healthcare awareness of pancreatic cancer and complete the trek.
She added: “I will do anything it takes to keep pancreatic cancer on the agenda and this hike is the next achievement.
“I just want to show everyone that even after the most awful diagnosis, a series of brutal operations, chemotherapy, and diabetes that you can lead a full and meaningful life and can do anything that you put your mind to.”
You can donate to Dawn’s fundraising page here.
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