Becoming a mum was a dream come true – then weeks later doctors delivered the bombshell that I had just months to live
WHEN new mum Nikita Hughes found a lump in her breast after giving birth, doctors told her it was nothing more than an abscess.
The 22-year-old had welcomed her daughter Vienna into the world just eight weeks earlier in May 2023 and she was caught up in the joy of being a parent.
Nikita was given antibiotics, but when the growth, believed to be made up of harmless pus, failed to go she was sent to a breast clinic for a scan.
Nothing could have prepared her for the news she received.
She was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of sarcoma – a soft tissue cancer.
Nikita, from Port Talbot, Wales, believes she is one of only two people in the UK who has this form of the disease.
She says: “Becoming a mum was a dream come true for me. It was all I’d wanted since I was a little girl.
“I will never forget sitting in a room with my mum and Vienna as the doctors delivered the bombshell that I had cancer.
“I just sobbed with complete disbelief.”
The mum had a gruelling operation in October 2023, during which surgeons removed a 6in (15cm) tumour from her rib cage.
Part of her chest was removed and a new one constructed with muscle from her back.
She also opted for a double mastectomy to remove both breasts and was given six weeks of proton beam therapy.
Initially, the cancer responded to treatment and after a scan in May 2024, Nikita was given the all-clear.
She was even well enough to go on a holiday with her family to Turkey, in July 2024, enjoying every moment with little Vienna and her partner, Shaun Williams, 24.
“Paddling in the sea with my girl felt like a different world,” Nikita says.
“It all felt so precious and wonderful and I was just so grateful to be alive.”
But in September 2024, Nikita developed pain and swelling in her legs, as well as a nasty cough.
After a CT scan, doctors revealed that her sarcoma had spread to her lungs and there was nothing more they could do.
It breaks my heart to know my daughter will grow up without her mummy so I have to give her all the love I can now
Nikita Hughes
“I’d only just started being the mummy I wanted to be,” Nikita says.
“Now it was all being snatched away. I was told there was no cure. I was dying.
“All I could think about was how I would never see Vienna grow up into a woman.
“I am going to miss it all. It’s indescribable the pain I feel.”
But Nikita is determined to make the most of every second she has left.
She even organised a ‘f*** you cancer party’ in defiance of her illness.
“I may be dying but I am determined to go out with a bang,” she adds.
“I am so angry at this disease for stealing me away from my daughter.
“My party was my way of saying that I won’t go down without a fight.
“I invited 50 friends and family. There was so much love and joy in the room despite the pain.
“There were so many tears but loads of laughs too. We had balloons, a singer and a DJ.
“I had a huge pink poster featuring my face and the words ‘F*** you cancer party, Princess Nikita’.”
“It may be my last party so I was determined to enjoy every minute of it.
“It meant so much to have all the people I love there.”
MONTHS LEFT TO LIVE
Nikita has been told that she has around 16 months left to live with chemotherapy – or just six months without treatment.
“Now all that matters is making memories with Vienna and Shaun and my family,” she says.
“Vienna is 20 months old now and loves playing in the park with Peppa Pig.
“When I’m with her, I smother her with kisses and cuddles. Every moment is so precious.
“It breaks my heart to know she will grow up without her mummy so I have to give her all the love I can now.
“It feels bitterly unfair. But my gosh, my beautiful girl will know she was so loved.”
You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe page to help pay for “special memories and trips” here.
The symptoms of sarcoma cancer
The most common symptom of soft tissue sarcoma is a lump somewhere on the body.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean cancer – there are all sorts of reasons for lumps and swellings, but it must always be checked by a GP.
The lump is usually found deep under the skin and might be felt before it can be seen.
The lump is usually solid to the touch, painless and hard to move around under the skin.
It will continue to grow and as it does, it can become painful.
Other symptoms depend on where in the body the lump is.
These can include:
- Tummy pain and constipation if there is a sarcoma near the tummy
- A cough that does not go away if there is a sarcoma near the lungs
Source: NHS