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Vicki was told her cancer was terminal in her early 30s(Image: Family handout)<\/p>\nThe mum-of-two had to have the UK’s second liver transplant for her advanced, life-threatening condition<\/p>\n
06:13, 27 Jun 2025Updated 07:05, 27 Jun 2025<\/p>\n
Vicki was told her cancer was terminal in her early 30s(Image: Family handout)<\/p>\n
A 33-year-old new mum who kept getting urinary tract infections had no idea her problem was actually life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Vicki Steyert went to the doctor when she was pregnant with her second son, Charlie, in the summer of 2020. Her eldest child, Alex, was just four at the time.<\/p>\n
She noticed that her bowel habits had changed, and that there was blood in her poo. She had blood and stool samples taken, but the results didn\u2019t show anything was wrong.<\/p>\n
The mum-of-two, from Wigan, was also getting frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The infections only carried on when she gave birth to her youngest son, Charlie, now three-years-old.<\/p>\n
Finally, Vicki had a scan of her bladder in May 2021, and the radiographer made a chance discovery, spotting some unusual signs on her liver.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey called me back the same day, and then a CT scan and colonoscopy confirmed that I had advanced bowel cancer that had spread to my liver. Charlie was just six weeks old at the time, so the cancer had been there throughout my pregnancy. It\u2019s a miracle I had no complications and a healthy baby,\u201d Vicki says.<\/p>\n
After her diagnosis, Vicki was referred to The Christie\u2019s local treatment centre in Wigan<\/a> and was told that, because of the spread of the cancer, her treatment would be palliative \u2013 meaning she was terminally ill and would die eventually.<\/p>\n \u201cI was only 33 and a mum to a newborn and a four-year-old, so even though I had suspected that something was wrong, to be given that news was devastating,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n Vicki started on chemotherapy and a targeted treatment called panitumumab in August 2021. Her cancer markers, which had initially been at 500, came right down to three.<\/p>\n Vicki’s treatment team were so happy with her progress that they wanted to see if she was eligible to have part of her liver removed, known as a resection, to try and get rid of the cancer.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, after many scans, she was told this wasn\u2019t possible as her cancer had spread too far.<\/p>\n She then got a second opinion from a surgeon in Scotland, who confirmed that she wasn\u2019t eligible for a resection. But after all those gutting blows, the surgeon gave a ray of hope.<\/p>\n The surgeon explained how the NHS was shortly going to be offering liver transplants to certain patients with bowel cancer, and that she might be eligible.<\/p>\n Vicki had to be doing well on treatment for two years before she could be considered for the operation, and she hit this milestone in August 2023.<\/p>\n In total, she had around 60 sessions of treatment. Vicki was added to the waiting list in February 2024 and, at last, had her surgery in Leeds in the summer.<\/p>\n Vicki is the second person in the country to have a liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. The operation and previous treatment \u2013 chemotherapy, targeted treatment, and bowel surgery \u2013 mean she\u2019s now cancer-free.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_HVR_MEN_260625_vicki.jpg\")
Vicki and her family went through hell and back(Image: Family handout)<\/p>\n
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The Christie Hospital<\/p>\n