A woman who was told she needed to get married straight away after being told she had incurable cancer is continuing to live life to the full two years later

Allison Gilbank was diagnosed with Mesothelioma in her stomach in 2022 aged 45.

Recently engaged to Dan, Allison had no symptoms of the incurable disease caused by exposure to asbestos.

Allison said: "Neither Dan or I had children and we were in the process of adopting when we decided to investigate why we weren't able to conceive.

"I went for a scan and they were unable to see one of my ovaries due to some sort of fluid I was then sent for further scans but it was still unclear what the issue was.

"At the time I had a belly button piercing which the doctors removed and found some brown, dirty liquid which was sent off for testing.

"The first test was inconclusive so they did the whole thing again two weeks later and the sample was sent off to a specialist centre in Basingstoke.

"This was in April 2022 shortly after Dan and me had got engaged - the nurse told us to get married straight away as I has just six months left."

The couple flew to New York where they were married before returning to their home in Norton and Allison started treatment.

Allison underwent a course of chemotherapy and is now undergoing immunotherapy to attempt to keep this cancer at bay.

She has also suffered numerous side effects, including being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and is no longer able to work and has recently had to give in her driving licence due to suffering a seizure.

Despite having to live daily with the knowledge of having this, currently, incurable disease and the various issues it causes her she remains incredibly positive and lives her life to the full.

Allison plays netball and had recently helped set up a new female cricket team in Malton.

She said: "Some days are great and I can go out and play cricket and then on other days, particularly after treatment I am wiped out and just want to sleep.

"I keep going by living week to week and making sure I have things in the diary to keep me going."

Allison's husband, Dan is a firefighter who previously worked at Malton station but moved to Scarborough following her diagnosis.

The 51-year-old is now running the Great North Run in September to raise funds for the charity Mesothelioma UK.

Dan said: "Although I have run many races over the years I have never raised any money for charity. I didn't expect to ever run the Great North Run again but when the opportunity arose to run for Mesothelioma UK I jumped at it.

Mesothelioma UK is the national charity for anyone affected by mesothelioma, a preventable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. They exist to support people with mesothelioma to live better and live longer and to prevent mesothelioma happening to future generations. They do this by advocating for better treatment and care, enhancing quality of life, supporting research and amplifying the patient’s voice.

Dan said: "I have been training and have lost about four stone through eating better and giving up drinking and I am now up to running around 30 miles a week.

"We are both grateful for any donation people feel able to give to help fight this devastating disease."

To support Allison and Dan's fundraising go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/dan-gilbank-1716388318657