Paula Radcliffe's teen daughter's two cancer symptoms before diagnosis

Daily Record

27-04-2025

Paula Radcliffe's teenage daughter showed two warning signs before her cancer diagnosis. British running icon Paula Radcliffe's 18-year-old daughter, Isla Lough, was faced with battling a rare ovarian cancer which was detected during the Covid-19 lockdown five years ago.
Isla's health cancer journey began when she started to experience stomach pains and a shortness of breath. Months prior to this, Paula had noticed earlier subtle indicators that Isla wasn't well, which included bladder issues and unusual bleeding outside her regular periods.
Concerned for her daughter's health, Paula arranged for a paediatrician consultation, leading to hospital scans in Nice, where their worst fears were confirmed. A week later, Isla was in hospital commencing her first round of chemotherapy treatments, Surrey Live reports.
Diagnosed with a rare malignant germ cell tumour, which affects around one in 200,000 women, Paula drew strength from her athletic background.
She recalled: "When we were over the initial shock and the medical team had explained everything, having that sporting background helped.
"We had a treatment plan - like all the training plans I have followed over the years - and it was something we could stick to and see things improving."
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Sharing insights into her daughter's ordeal, the marathon legend, 51, confessed: "It's the hardest thing a parent can go through.
"You can support them and be with them the whole way through, but you can't do that chemo for them. It's horrible to watch your child suffering through that, but at the same time, we believed that if it felt bad, it was killing the cancer.
"There are things you're not ready for – either going through it or as a parent."
Ex-Olympian and triple London Marathon champion Paula Radcliffe is set to witness her daughter tackle the same 26.2 mile challenge today, commemorating a decade since Radcliffe said goodbye to marathon running.
Isla will join over 56,000 participants in the 2025 London Marathon on Sunday April 27 in the capital.
Starting at Greenwich Park and culminating on The Mall near Buckingham Palace, runners will follow a mainly flat course passing illustrious landmarks including Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, and Big Ben.
While Isla has experience in shorter races, this marks her inaugural marathon endeavour. She's running to fundraise for Children with Cancer UK, a charity that resonates deeply with the family following Isla's own battle with the disease.
Paula has shared that her daughter's motivation is to demonstrate her health by completing the marathon, without the aim of breaking any records.
Paula, set to join the BBC commentary team for the event, shared with Radio Times: "It's an extremely emotional place to be anyway, when you see people turn that corner on the Mall and they realise they've done it. But when it's your little girl doing it, that's going to be a bit more emotional."