'Children shouldn't lose their mummies because of sun beds': Mother
of three, 27, has just weeks to live after going for tanning sessions
three times a week for two years gave her skin cancer
- Louise Cook, 27, received shocking diagnosis during her third pregnancy
- The mother-of-three turned to sunbeds to improve her tan and confidence
- But after using them three times a week, she was found to have melanoma
- She has been given two months to live and leaves behind three children
A young mother-of-three has just weeks to live after her regular use of sunbeds led to a diagnosis of malignant skin cancer.
Louise Cook, 27, received the shocking diagnosis when she was just 10 weeks pregnant with her daughter Chloe.
Her worst fears were then realised six weeks later - when she was told it had spread and was terminal.
Mrs Cook, from Thetford, Norfolk, said she believed having a tan would help her self esteem after the breakup of a relationship.
After
splitting from her first husband at 23, she turned to sunbeds in a bid
to improve her self confidence. Continuing to use them three times a
week, she eventually met Martyn, who she is now married to.
A
25-year-old RAF serviceman who has served in Afghanistan, the couple
have 18-month-old Chloe - who was born after her diagnosis - together.
However,
doctors have been unable to stop the aggressive spread of the cancer
and Mrs Cook has been told she has just two months to live.
She
said: 'I was young and naive and will pay for that with my life. I
thought having a tan would help improve my self- esteem after a break up
and because of that I will not be here to watch my beautiful children
grow up. But I will keep smiling for them. My beautiful children make me
happy and grateful every day.
'I am heartbroken and angry for them that they will have to grow up without their mummy.
'But I didn’t really believe sunbeds could be so dangerous because they were so easily accessible.
'I
fear other young men and women will make the same mistake as me and put
their image before their health. I don’t want to scare young people; I
just want to help inform them. If you want a tan get a spray one, don’t
risk your life.'
Mrs Cook,
also mother to Summer, 6, and Mason, 4, from her previous marriage,
fears young people are still ignorant to the real risks of tanning.
She
added: ‘I would like to see the UK eventually follow Australia and
introduce a ban. How can we expect young people to believe that using
sunbeds can give you cancer when they see them in every beauty salon,
hair dressers and gym.’
Mrs Cook, a fashion retail supervisor, was 23 when she separated from her ex husband.
As a single mother with two small children she feared she might never find love again.
She
explained: 'My confidence was very low after the break up so I started
doing things to boost my self esteem like dying my hair and shopping for
new clothes. I saw a friend who looked well and she told me she had
been using sunbeds so I decided to try them too.'
Baby Chloe (pictured), along with Mrs Cook's other children, have been
told their mother 'will be an angel soon' but they can still 'talk to me
all the time'
Soon she was using sunbeds up to three times a week.
She
said: 'Having always been pale I soon started receiving compliments on
my tan and I admit it made me feel good. I heard sunbeds had been linked
to cancer but because they were everywhere I really didn’t think that
they could be that dangerous.'
So she kept tanning, using the beds for around six minutes at a time, later increasing to nine minutes.
Six
weeks after the initial diagnosis of the mole, Mrs Cook was at work
when she noticed a lump in her neck and says she knew instantly it was a
tumour.
Tests confirmed her fears that the cancer had spread and she was told she would need surgery to remove it.
Her partner was flown back from Afghanistan where he was serving to be at her side as the op posed a risk to their unborn baby.
But
ahead of the operation an MRI scan revealed further lesions on her lung
and the devastated couple were told the cancer was now incurable.
Mrs Cook's children Summer, 6, and Mason, 4, pictured with their baby half-sister Chloe
Mrs Cook, 27, is now married to Martyn Cook, an RAF serviceman who has served in Afghanistan
Her
husband Martyn (pictured together) was flown back from a tour in the
Middle East to be at her side for the operation to remove the malignant
mole
Mrs
Cook said: 'I just cried. I was 24 weeks pregnant with two small
children at home and being told I was terminally ill with cancer. I
couldn’t believe it had gone from a bleeding mole to being told I would
die.
'When I finally stopped crying I just asked my consultant to help me live as long as possible for the children.'
She was advised to consider ending the pregnancy but says it was never an option.
'I
was going to die, but that didn’t mean my baby had to die too. In fact
it made us more determined that she live. Life is so precious.'
She was induced at 37 weeks and baby Chloe was delivered in perfect health after a natural birth weighing 6lb, 13oz.
Not long after Chloe's birth, it was confirmed. The cancer had spread to her brain.
She says her priority was to prepare her children for the inevitable.
'I gently explained that mummy will be an angel soon but they could still talk to me all the time.'
Mrs Cook was induced at 37 weeks and baby Chloe was delivered in perfect health after a natural birth
Her older
children have now moved in with their father because Mrs Cook wants to
help settle them in while she is still well enough.
The
brave mother has planned her own funeral to help spare her family the
heartache of doing so and is preparing memory boxes for her children.
She said: 'I hope Summer and Mason will have memories of me but it breaks my heart that Chloe will be too young to remember me.
'But I have an incredible family and amazing friends who I know will help keep my memory alive for the children.'
The
brave mother insists on smiling through her illness. She said: 'My
beautiful family make me smile every day and remind me that I still have
lots to be grateful for despite what’s happened.
'I won’t let the cancer define our lives while I am still alive. I will keep smiling for my babies every day.'
Rachel
Stevens, 28, and her partner Kayla Jones, 25, were booked into the
Muskogee County Jail Tuesday on charges of felony child abuse by injury
and child neglect.
The
case first came to light in early December when Stevens' 5-year-old son
was flown to St John Medical Center in Tulsa suffering from seizures
and lesions on his face.Scroll down for video
Doctors at the hospital contacted police after determining that the child had several broken bones in various stages of healing and appeared malnourished.While the boy was receiving medical treatment, he suffered two strokes 'due to his trauma,' according to an affidavit cited by Tulsa World.Investigators subsequently interviewed the little boy and learned that the child had been tied up, had duct tape placed over his eyes and had been kept in a locked room, the document states.The toddler also claimed that his mother struck him on the hand with a hammer, and that both she and Jones hit him with a belt all over his body.According to police, the horrific abuse went on for several months. The little boy said on one occasion, his step-mother kicked him in the groin until he bled.
