Chad reporter fights cancer with ‘tumour humour’ after devastating diagnosis

Those are the words of Chad reporter Katrina Taylor, following a devastating cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

The 42-year-old mother-of-two, who has just celebrated her fourth wedding anniversary with husband Andy, joined your Chad as a community reporter in 2019 at the age of 39, as part of the Facebook-backed Community News Project, before joining the Chad permanently earlier this year, when the fixed-term Facebook contract came to an end.

Katrina, who grew up in Kirkby and is mum to 12-year-old Finlay Brown and Jacob Taylor, aged five, worked in the leisure industry for 20 years, before deciding on a career change.

Along with providing community coverage from the patch, Katrina, through columns and opinion pieces, has shared her life with readers, from opening up about her mental health battles to her experience with baby loss.

However, her love for sharing your stories was sadly interrupted as in May, Katrina received a devastating cancer diagnosis.

She said she ended up in A&E in April, following a spate of illness since February – and it was there, where a scan revealed a brain abnormality.

The abnormality was confirmed to be a one-centimetre tumour and a treatment plan was put in place.

In May, following further investigative scans, Katrina was diagnosed with a grade-four astrocytoma, an inoperable stage-four brain tumour – and joked: “The good-for-nothing cells can be likened to my less than successful dating record, with no names mentioned.”

Katrina, who has been off work ever since, has undergone one round of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with the aim of shrinking the tumour’s growth and limiting its effects.

Despite being off work and unable to write stories at the moment, Katrina has still been involved with your Chad, supporting the work of fellow reporters and signposting stories when she comes across them.

She said she is always thinking about the community and writing stories, even if her condition prevents that physically.

Katrina said: “I will throw everything at this fight, in typical Kat fashion, and will document the progress for my own sanity, with as much humour as I can muster along the way.”

Since Katrina revealed her diagnosis on her Facebook account, she started a separate page – Katrina Taylor brain tumour journey – for self-described ‘tumour humour’ and treatment updates.

She said she has been inundated with support, such as community fundraisers to assist with treatment costs and offers of experiences across the area, so she can make ‘precious memories’ with her boys.

Katrina, who lives close to Mansfield town centre, said: “Support from local businesses has been phenomenal and helped massively so.

“I am overwhelmed by the support and generosity of businesses and the community.

“People have offered days out for the boys, reached out about running raffles and just supporting however they can.

“I have been blown by the generosity of people in Mansfield and Ashfield.

“Having the opportunity to make memories with the kids and even people raising money to help with home adaptations and aids makes my life easier.

“The Lashes Foundation in Clipstone provided us with a grant to go on holiday to Center Parcs – we are so grateful and it really means the world.”

In typical ‘Kat fashion’, as she puts it, she continues to share regular updates about pelvic floor activity and housing renovations due to her change in health.

She shares updates about hospital pudding, the good, the bad and the not so desirable.

Updates also consist of comical stories about embarrassing encounters, which she said helps her cope with the diagnosis, as she encourages others to see the funny side of life.

She said her family have been adapting to the diagnosis and it has been an adjustment for them all.

She said she had to inform Jacob – much to his disappointment – that mummy was not carrying another sibling but instead, had water retention in her belly.

In July, Finlay, ran the race for life with his dad, James Brown, in support of Katrina, with ‘keep fighting’ on his shirt.

She said the boys had been, and continue to be, brilliant and a huge support.

In recent months, Katrina has still been thinking of others, making chemo packs for patients and pamper packs for staff at King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton.

She has been putting together self-care packages for those who may need a pick-me-up in unprecedented times.

She said life with the tumour is unpredictable, as some days can result in difficulty walking and excessive sleeping.

She said waking up disoriented at 3pm can be a common occurrence, whereas other days, she gets a taste of normality once again, feeling just like her old self.

Katrina said: “Whatever the future holds, I am going to fight this disease and try to raise awareness.

“I checked my symptoms out as soon as they appeared – doing so has given me a fighting chance, albeit a very slim one.

“If writing my experience encourages one person to get checked out, then it has served its purpose.”