Leeds mum takes up Ironman challenge despite stage-four cancer
It was back in March 2019 that a regular eye check-up found something in Hannah's left eye.She was referred to Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital where she was diagnosed with ocular melanoma - a rare eye cancer. Three weeks later she had surgery to remove her eye and at first wore an eye patch before being fitted with a prosthetic."It was a massive shock," she recalls."You go from normal everyday life to having half your vision removed. It impacts everything you do every day."It was at her fifth annual scan following surgery, in April 2024, that Hannah was told the cancer had spread to her liver and was stage four.
"Everything you read and everything you know is that when it metastasises to your liver, it's pretty much game over."The first thing you think about is your kids and your family. It was really devastating."A few weeks after the secondary diagnosis, Hannah saw an advert for Ironman, which takes place on Sunday.It is the first time the event, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run, is being held in Yorkshire.The hilly course promises to be a tough test of endurance for the fittest of triathletes, but that did not put Hannah off.She says: "It's been a massive distraction and has given me a sense of purpose."The kids can see me get up and do something every day."I'm raising money for charity, which has been a big factor of it and the support I'm getting from people who I haven't seen in years is a really big motivation."So far, Hannah has raised more than £13,000 for charity Ocular Melanoma UK.Its founder and CEO Jo Gumbs says Hannah's strength and determination are "genuinely inspiring"."We honestly can't thank Hannah enough."She's an extraordinary woman who's taken on a huge challenge, all while juggling so much in her own life."She says the money means the charity can keep running its vital services including its helpline, psychological support and online community groups.
Meanwhile, Hannah's training has been inconsistent because, while still working, she is also having immunotherapy treatment.The aim of this is to control tumour growth for as long as possible, but it can have side effects.For Hannah, these include fatigue and sickness as well as pain from the tumours themselves."One tumour in particular has grown quite significantly over the last four months and that can cause pain," she says."But I keep saying to myself - if you can get through the bike, you can finish a marathon. It's just a marathon."
That steely determination is something her husband Andrew Bell recognises.He will be cheering on Hannah alongside their two children, 14-year-old Flo and 12-year-old Bertie."Hannah's a tough cookie - very determined, stubborn, but also a caring, passionate person who's very empathetic as well."All those qualities make her particularly special. The kids and I are incredibly proud of her."Some 2,500 people will descend on Roundhay Park Lake in Leeds to take part in the event.All will have their own personal reasons to test their physical and mental resilience to the limit.But for Hannah, this means everything.She says: "It means that I'm still alive. It means that I'm still fighting it. It means that the kids can see it's not over yet."
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
Fan reaction to Scottish Premiership's opening weekend
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
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