CrossFit gym hosts a 24-hour ‘wod-a-thon’ [a workout challenge] in support of Lydia Southam, diagnosed with life-threatening ovarian cancer
WHEN Lydia Southam was diagnosed with life threatening ovarian cancer last year her whole world fell apart.
But her determination to be a loving mother for her three children and wife to her husband, Jamie, pulled her through and 12 months later she has made a remarkable recovery – something which will be celebrated this week with a special fundraising event.
“It was an incredible shock,” said the 36-year-old advertising executive who lives in Bidford. “One minute I was fine and then I discovered a lump on my tummy, so I went to the doctors. I had a blood test and, after a number of other tests, I was diagnosed with grade four ovarian cancer on 29th June last year.”
Not knowing what tomorrow might bring, Lydia and Jamie, who had been engaged for some time, decided to get married a few days later, on 6th July – five days after her birthday.
“We married at St Peter’s Church in Wootton Wawen and we had our reception at the Moat House near Alcester. We had to pull a few strings very quickly and everyone was incredibly helpful and it was a beautiful day,” Lydia said.
How can life carry on as normal when you’re not sure how long you’ve got?
Lydia, who is mum to Sienna, aged 11, Oscar, eight, and Tilly, two, is also a coach at CrossFit gym in Bidford. She believes her regular workouts there with friends and colleagues pushed her to a new level of intensity which made her fight the cancer.
“I don’t think I would have achieved what I have done without the gym,” she told the Herald. “My mindset changed and I started to say to myself ‘I can do this, I can win’ and I had to. I’m in remission but fingers crossed I’m getting better now.”
The symptoms Lydia experienced in the early stages she thought were connected to her pregnancy and giving birth to Tilly, so at first it seemed normal but uncomfortable.
“There was frequent urination, my tummy was bloated and I was extremely tired but I thought that was the pregnancy. After my diagnosis I was very lucky when one of the top surgeons in Hammersmith removed all the tumours in my body. I had five rounds of chemo and I’m now on specialist medication which helps prevent oxygen getting to those cancer cells.”
Due to NHS waiting lists, Lydia may not have been able to get that emergency surgery in time but her family were able to raise enough money for her to go private.
She said her care with the NHS since has been excellent but Lydia still needs ongoing treatment – the cancer drug she was prescribed can only be used for one year on the health service.
As a celebration of her recovery and to help Lydia in the next phase of her life, her close friend Stephanie Blundall has organised a 24-hour ‘wod-a-thon’ [a workout challenge] at the CrossFit gym which she runs. It takes place tomorrow (Friday) at 6pm and runs through to Saturday.
Stephanie said Lydia’s mental determination pulled her through following the cancer diagnosis, which included 34 tumours in her abdomen.
“She truly is a remarkable woman and my best friend, and she’s defied what the prognosis was,” she said. “Myself and all our gym members are fundraising to help raise money for Lydia because her NHS medication is coming to an end and we want to make sure she has a pot of money to dip into to help her continued recovery.”
So far £975 has been raised of the £2,000 target.
The 24-hour workout challenge will include lots of different movements, from weightlifting to gymnastics.
“We will also have time in the day for two sessions for kids and families to get our whole community involved and everyone is welcome to come along and cheer us on, Stephanie added.
Lydia’s advice to other women is: “Trust your instincts. If you suspect something isn’t right push harder when you speak to medical professionals. I didn’t, when I should have done.
“Always be extra vigilant and very mindful about your health all the time.”
To donate, visit tinyurl.com/3efh6dtc
