"My back pain hid stage 4 breast cancer": Community raises £12K for Sheffield mum-of-three
Mum-of-three Gina Beck never imagined her back and hip pain would lead to a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Now, her sister Chloe is raising funds for surgery abroad, which is their only hope for a cure.
When 36-year-old Gina first began feeling pain in her back and hips, cancer was the last thing on her mind.
Just weeks earlier, she had launched a new cleaning business with her sister Chloe, trading in her office job for a more physically demanding role.
The cleaning business had been a long-time dream for the sisters, and Chloe said that they were very excited by how much it was thriving in the initial months.
Like many busy parents, Gina assumed the pain was a symptom of a hectic schedule.
“We thought maybe it was just the adjustment to all the activity from working a cleaning job,” said her sister, Chloe.
“It made sense, she was going from a desk job to manual work.”
The GP sent her to a physio, for multiple sessions, in an attempt to alleviate the pain.
A few weeks later, Gina found a lump in her breast.
She immediately booked a GP appointment.
A scan eventually revealed the devastating truth: she had breast cancer which had already spread.
In the space of just six weeks, Gina went from a busy working mum-of-three to being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer- now in her bones, lymph nodes and liver.
It turned out that the persistent back and hip pain Gina had been experiencing, was actually caused by the cancer.
Chloe recalled the heart-breaking moment her sister’s spine fractured.
“She sat down and part of her spine shattered - her bones were that brittle from the cancer,” she said.
“It’s so severe that surgery was too risky, the doctors said she could end up paralysed.”
As doctors cannot operate on her back, Gina lives each day in constant pain with a broken back, trying to care for her children - Esme, two; Lucas, eight, and Isabelle, 12.
She does all of this whilst managing aggressive treatment and unimaginable exhaustion.
She said she is incredibly grateful to her partner Scott, who comes home from his work day and makes sure to do everything he can.
“But life is just not the same,” Gina said.
“I was at a friend’s BBQ last weekend, and I couldn’t stay awake past 7pm. I used to be so active, now my life has been turned upside down,” she recalled.
Sadly, there is no cure for stage 4 breast cancer.
The NHS treatment plan instead aims to improve and prolong Gina’s quality of life until treatment options run out.
In response to her diagnosis, Chloe created a GoFundMe page to raise funds to take the unimaginable stress off her sister.
The original idea was to help pay for a dream trip to Disneyland Paris - something Gina always wanted to share with her kids, especially as a lifelong Disney fan.
“I absolutely love Disney, I walked down the aisle to ‘Tale As Old As Time’, from Beauty and the Beast,” Gina said.
“My eldest daughter Isabelle is even named after Belle.”
But as donations came flooding in, Chloe began researching a new possibility: a surgery in Frankfurt, Germany, that could cure her cancer, rather than just keep it at bay.
She says this surgery has a 70 per cent success rate for Gina’s specific cancer type - a promising chance they had not expected.
Chloe said: “This treatment could be life-changing, and it’s given us the hope we need to keep fighting.”
Gina added: “Where there’s hope, there’s a reason to keep going.”
Now, all funds are going towards funding this surgery.
The outpouring of support from friends and strangers alike has taken the family by surprise.
“I can’t believe how well it’s done, it’s really taken off,” said Chloe.
Their mother, Steph, added: “If love alone could save her, she’d be cured already.
“The support from everyone shows how highly people think of her.”
Gina is equally emotional: “I get upset just talking about it - it’s been incredible to see how kind people are, even people I’ve never met. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
Gina’s type of breast cancer is estrogen-receptive, meaning her body unknowingly produces hormones that actively feed the cancer.
“It’s very unlucky, she may have had it for a long time, possibly since having her youngest daughter,” Chloe said.
Doctors believe the cancer was already spreading before the lump was discovered - a situation the family feels may have been avoided if there was greater awareness that symptoms like back pain can be linked to cancer.
Despite the stage 4 diagnosis, Gina’s cancer is still considered breast cancer rather than secondary cancer, which can confuse patients and families alike.
“There’s so much people don’t know about this disease,” Chloe said.
“We want to raise awareness not just funds.”
The decision of when to pursue the German surgery weighs heavily.
Gina is currently undergoing NHS treatment and is due for a scan to see if her body is responding.
“If the treatment is working, and has slowed the progression, we’re going to book Disneyland out of our own money,” she said.
“Ideally, we wanted to wait until my youngest was a bit older, but everything has been sped up.”
The money raised for her surgery will stay as a fund, for when doctors advise it is best to get the surgery.
There is also another important date on the calendar - September 7.
Friends and family are organising “GinaFest,” a fundraiser featuring food, fun and entertainment to support her ongoing journey.
It will take place on Archer Road, with free entry.
In the meantime, Gina is focused on prioritising her time with family.
“I don’t want to know how much time I have left, so I didn’t ask, I just want to enjoy what I have.
“I did ask the doctor if I’d make it to 40 and she said yes so that’s one thing I’m holding onto.”
Gina left her story on a determined note.
“I’m going to fight this - I want to be here for my kids, for my husband, and for myself, for as long as possible.”
And Chloe echoed this: “I refuse to lose my sister.”