Cancer patient Chloe Baldock, 22 from Old Romney starts fundraiser for bucket list
Published: 05:00, 22 July 2022
Updated: 15:29, 22 July 2022
A 22-year-old cancer patient given a 40% chance of living for the next two years has set up a fundraising appeal so she can complete a bucket list.
Chloe Baldock from Old Romney has stage four Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (F-HCC) which is a very rare cancer of the liver, so decided to create a bucket list to create 'forever memories' with her family and friends.
"Mentally I've been not okay with it but I've had really incredible support from my family," she said.
Chloe is close to her family and said she started writing the bucket list more for the her nieces and nephews than for herself.
"I want to build the memories for my family for when I'm gone. They'll have everything I could have possibly given them to keep me in their hearts."
Chloe was a chef by trade so her bucket list includes lots of food related activities: "I'd love to be able to go to Paris and have some croissants because they do the best pastries," she said.
"I want to do something different that's not straight on out the front door.
"At least if I can do something positive out of a negative situation then it doesn't feel so much in vein sometimes."
The 22-year-old is also getting married at the beginning of August, which she said has been a 'positive distraction'.
So far, Chloe's appeal has raised more than £1,500 and she says she feels humbled by the generosity of the community.
"A complete stranger donated £500 and the messages that I've had have been amazing.
"I want everyone to see the beautiful side of the community that comes together with cancer."
"I never imagined myself being terminally ill at 22..."
Chloe is open about her cancer journey and shares regular updates on her social media pages.
"I want to show people the lighter side of cancer," she said.
"I never imagined myself being terminally ill at 22.
"I want people to see all sides of chemo, not just that your hair falls out like you see on TV, or you're throwing up all the time.
"If you're throwing up, your chemo isn't working for you. People see that and think it is a normal thing because they see it on TV.
"People need to be made more aware of the dangers, but also the incredible science behind chemo."
Chloe was diagnosed about a month ago with the incurable cancer, which affects one in five million people in the UK and tends to affect young people aged 12-40, who often have no underlying health conditions.
She is currently having palliative chemotherapy.
"It just sort of finds you and grows," she said.
"It can grow rapidly or slowly, mine started at 10cm and now it's 12-14cm.
"I don't want people to go through the same symptoms that I had, I want people to have support from others."
Throughout her treatment, Chloe has been helping other young people who have cancer and helping the charity Young Lives Against Cancer as well as the Princess Trust, who are going to be giving her a wig.
"If I give up helping others, I don't think I would have the will to keep going.
"If I didn't have my nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, mother, father and partner, I would be absolutely gone by now because sometimes it gets so incredibly awful."
She added: "It's been really helpful to me, being able to help my family through it.
"Even though it's awful, it's kind of like a gift that I can give.
"I have family days where I just focus on doing things with the family, or weddings days where I focus on my wedding preparation, then I have my chemo days or my cancer days where you can't avoid it."
"My hands feel hot enough to cook an egg on sometimes..."
Chloe said the first reason that she went to the doctors was because she was getting a lot of pain in her right shoulder which she later found out was referred pain because the liver has pain receptors that lead up to the shoulders.
"I was in a lot of pain, super tired, throwing up, and so dizzy all the time," she said.
The main symptoms Chloe experiences day-to-day are extreme sensitivity to heat, nausea, fatigue, and her hair falling out. She is also experiencing nerve damage from chemotherapy.
She said: "My hands feel like they're hot enough to cook an egg on sometimes."
Chloe said that she wants people to know that they're not alone, and how valuable time is.
"Embrace everything life throws at you, even when you're having the worst day ever - there is someone out there who will be there to hold your hand."
Her most recent fundraising idea stemmed from her hair sadly falling out as a side effect from her chemotheraphy.
"As a little bit of fun in Chloe style, I’ve come up with an idea - design my head."
Chloe's hair will be shaved off, leaving it a blank canvas.
"Any pattern or style can be created with colour," she said.
A design will be picked at random and put on Chloe's head.
Donations towards Chloe's cancer bucket list fundraiser can be made here.
More by this author
Chantal Weller