AN EAST Riding councillor who has twice beaten a rare form of cancer, despite being told there was no cure, is doing a sponsored skydive at the age of 71.
Councillor Margaret Chapman will take part in a tandem skydive on Sunday, November 16, to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and thank the charity for all the help she received while battling the disease.
She said: "I wanted to raise money for Macmillan as they do such a super job, they are there whenever you need them, any time day or night, and I just wanted to thank them for the help they have given me.
"Part of the reason I wanted to do the challenge is also survivor guilt, I suppose.
"During my cancer journey I met lots of people that didn't make it.
"I have also lost some dear friends to cancer and it really makes you evaluate your life."
Cllr Chapman was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in September 2012.
"Doctors said I must have had the cancer for a long time as the tumour was enormous," she said.
"I was told there was no cure, however the doctor was very kind and said he would find a very good doctor to look after me and wished me good luck."
Margaret met her oncologist Dr Rachel Barton at Scarborough Hospital, where they talked through the councillor's treatment plan.
Cllr Chapman said: "The next nine months were a blur, I had intense treatments day after day, feeling very unwell and very weak.
"I lost my hair, some of my teeth, finger and toe nails, but slowly I began to feel better and after many MRIs and CT scans, even a bone scan, the greatest day ever came when Dr Barton had the last pictures of what used to be my cancer and there was nothing to see.
"I had won the battle."
Her condition continued to improve over the next six weeks, until one day in September last year, she awoke to discover she had lost all feeling and movement in the right side of her body.
"It was like I had a stroke," she said.
"I saw my GP, Dr Samantha Brown, and she moved so quickly, I had an MRI the next day and saw Dr Barton the day after."
Scans revealed she had five malignant growths in her brain.
Within days she was on her way to the Nova Healthcare Centre in Leeds and became the first person to have five growths removed from her brain by gamma knife surgery.
Throughout all her ordeals, the politician has continued to attend council meetings.
She is now looking forward to her skydive at Grindale, Bridlington.
Visit www.justgiving.com/Margaret-Chapman1 to sponsor her.
