Town rallies to support mum's cancer battle

Tracy McSparron with her sons Lee and Luke (Photo by MI Photography). INCT 37-727-CON

Friends of a young mum who is battling a rare form of cancer are lending their support with a series of upcoming fundraisers in Carrickfergus.

Tracy McSparron, 28, was diagnosed with the aggressive condition Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma in June.

“I had went up to Antrim hospital with a sore shoulder; at first they thought it was a blood clot as I was having pain when I was breathing in,” said Tracy, originally from the Eden area of the town.

“Then they sent me for a scan and noticed these nodules around my lung.”

Further scans showed that tumours had spread to the lymph nodes and adrenal gland.

In August Tracy, who is mum to Lee (nine), and seven-year-old Luke, was given the news that her form of cancer was most likely terminal.

“I was told that on average, people survive this type of cancer for about three years,” Tracy added. “The quicker it’s discovered, the more successfully it can be treated. I just don’t know how long I’ve had it.”

Despite the devastating news, the local mum is keeping a positive outlook.

“I may have been told three years, but it’s my job to prove that wrong. Three years in medical terms is a long time, and I like to think that some kind of drug, operation or procedure could be discovered in that time, if not here then at least in some part of the world.