A MOTHER who lost her business after being diagnosed with cancer has been left in “constant agony” following months of intense treatment.

Faith Windsor, who lives in Mile Oak, Brighton was told she had stage four bowel cancer three weeks into lockdown in March last year.

The 48-year-old had to endure a week of intense radiotherapy to reduce the size of the tumour, before undergoing surgery to remove part of her large intestine, which was followed by chemotherapy.

The Argus: Faith Windsor with her sons Nico and KhalilFaith Windsor with her sons Nico and Khalil

Although she has now been given the cancer all clear, Faith says her body has been left in a “terrible mess” and she has been forced to give up her cleaning business, Happy Home Cleaning, after running it for more than ten years.

She said: “I knew there was something wrong with me for ages before I found out. I kept going back and forward to the doctor for a long, long time – a good few years on and off.

“It was really extreme exhaustion, and I knew there was something wrong with me.

The Argus: The GoFundMe page set up for Faith has raised more than £7,000The GoFundMe page set up for Faith has raised more than £7,000

“The NHS have been incredible, and I know I’m incredibly lucky because a lot of people didn’t receive treatment because of Covid.

“But my body’s been left in such a state, and now I’ve hit the bottom of the list again because it’s not life-threatening cancer anymore.

“I’ve got a huge hernia on my stomach that is the size of a watermelon. It is hideous, really unattractive and really uncomfortable.

“My mobility is ruined and it’s just making my life a misery.

Sallyann Carter, Faith’s aunt, has now set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Faith to have surgery privately that would help to ease her pain and assist with her recovery.

Faith says she has been told only an expert surgeon in London would be able to carry out the surgery at the cost of £10,000 to £20,000.

She says: “I’ve been to a private surgeon now and I’ve spoken to him, and I even got to speak to him face to face which was really lovely because I haven’t been able to do that with any doctor this year.

“He’s recommended to me that I wouldn’t be able to have the surgery now anyway, because it would risk my cancer coming back, which I hadn’t realised.

“He said any surgery now would exacerbate that and I would be mad to do it. On his recommendation I am going to wait a while and give my body a good six months to heal before I go for it.

“I can’t work, I can’t walk, I can’t get out of bed very easily but it’s important for it to be done properly.”

Faith’s fundraiser has raised more than £7,000, with a lot of donations coming through social media after the GoFundMe page was shared by her 17-year-old son, Khalil.

She said: “We did about £5000 in a day and a lot of it was his friends. They all shared it on their social media platforms, and we were just inundated with donations of £5, £10 and £20.

“It was really, really lovely.”

To donate to Faith’s fundraiser, visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/help-faith-heal-from-cancer