How Chester cancer survivor mum and daughter defied the odds

Caireen Candlin was warned it was unlikely she would conceive following treatment for cervical cancer. However, just two weeks later, she fell pregnant. 

Her miracle baby, Daisy, is now aged 16 and has recently completed her GCSE exams. 

Championing progress in the fight against cervical cancer as a UK success story, survivor Caireen is backing Cancer Research UK's Turning Point for Cancer campaign. 

She says thanks to the charity's research there's a more positive outlook for Daisy's generation, but the next UK Government must do more to ensure that life-saving progress doesn't stall.  

Caireen Candlin and daughter Daisy.

When it comes to cervical cancer, Cancer Research UK scientists helped prove the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and the disease 25 years ago. This discovery was a key step towards today's vaccination programme and improved cervical cancer screening.

Together they have helped rates of the disease fall by almost a third since the early 1990s, while for those who are still diagnosed, cervical cancer survival has increased due to better treatments.  

Survivor Caireen says what used to be science fiction is becoming 'science fact' and wants to help ensure that beating cancer is a priority this election so that all people and cancer types are able to see advances like this in the future.   

The mum-of-three said: "My cancer diagnosis turned my world upside down. I didn't think I'd live to see my family grow up, let alone be around to have more children.

"But thanks to the work of Cancer Research UK and developments in treatment, we've been able to enjoy so many precious moments together.  

"And now the HPV vaccine is giving hope to families like ours. I'm so grateful and relieved Daisy could have it.

"It's incredible to me that the vaccination programme is expected to prevent almost 90 per cent of cervical cancers in the UK. That's the incredible power of research." 

Caireen, whose cancer was detected through cervical screening, understands the importance of new discoveries and breakthroughs all too well and it's this that's driving her support for the charity's election campaign. 

Cancer Research UK has identified an alarming gap in UK funding for cancer research over the next decade that it says an incoming Government must urgently address to help save more lives.  

Caireen, aged 52, added: "Cancer affects every family, in every constituency. I can't help but feel that ours is one of the 'lucky ones.'

Caireen Candlin.

"It's a different story for so many people in the North West – and across the UK – and that's why I'm determined this election should be a turning point for everyone affected by the disease."  

Caireen received the devastating news she had cervical cancer, aged 34, after a routine cervical screening appointment detected abnormal cells and further tests confirmed the diagnosis.

She underwent minor surgery to remove the cancerous cells and was given three months of chemotherapy in tablet form. Further screening appointments detected more cancerous cells and Caireen had more surgery before being told she was free of the disease. 

Caireen, who was already mum to two boys, was with a new partner at the time and keen to have another child.

She was advised that the drugs she had been treated with would make it tricky for her to conceive and that her cervix might not be strong enough. 

However, only two weeks after being advised that she might not conceive again, Caireen fell pregnant.

When Caireen was 12 weeks pregnant, she discovered she was carrying twins. Sadly, one of the twins was an ectopic pregnancy and she lost the baby. Caireen became seriously ill and needed major surgery to save both her and the remaining baby. But baby Daisy was born safe and well. 

As soon as Daisy became eligible, she had the HPV vaccine at school. After decades of research, the HPV vaccination programme was first introduced for girls aged 12-13 in England in 2008. Since September 2019, the vaccine has also been available to boys of the same age. 

Caireen said: "Not only did I survive cancer, I beat the odds to have Daisy.

"I've always been open and honest with her about my cancer experience. Her life depended on my successful treatment and that isn't lost on her, so it was especially poignant when she had the HPV vaccine.

"Like me, she's a passionate advocate for improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer."  

Mother and daughter have now joined forces with Cancer Research UK to encourage all eligible people to take up the offer of HPV vaccination. They warn that the numbers of people participating in the programme, and cervical screening, have both fallen in recent years – particularly in the wake of the COVID pandemic.  

Caireen Candlin and daughter Daisy.

Claire Knight, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "We're grateful to Caireen and Daisy for shining a light on the huge leaps forward in cervical cancer that are saving and improving lives right now and why we must not lose momentum.  

"The elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem in our lifetime is possible with continued access to vaccination and screening for all. The next UK Government must make sure both programmes in England are backed by sufficient resources and tackle the health inequalities that mean cervical cancer rates are higher in people from deprived backgrounds.    

"In the North West, around 430 people receive a cervical cancer diagnosis every year. We want to bring about a future where almost no-one develops cervical cancer and where people across the UK can share in this scientific and research progress equally regardless of who they are or where they're from." 

Anyone concerned that their child has missed out on the HPV vaccine can contact their child's school nurse, school immunisation service or GP surgery to find out more.

Visit cruk.org/research-into-cervical-cancer for more information.