A former nurse from Cardiff, Heulwen Wyatt, 60, has shared her journey of battling oesophageal cancer “with all guns blazing,” after being diagnosed three years ago despite feeling well.
“That day is imprinted in my mind,” Heulwen recalled. “I watched the screen during the endoscopy and saw a lump. When I asked the consultant, he said it looked like cancer. It was a huge shock.”
The reality hit harder after her CT scan. “I started shaking. It dawned on me that this was a major diagnosis.”
At the time, Heulwen’s mother was in hospital, her father lived with Parkinson’s, and she had two young adult children and a husband to care for. “I thought, ‘I don’t have time for this.’ My attitude was, cancer, you picked the wrong person. I wasn’t ready to die. I had too many people relying on me. That’s why I went in all guns blazing.”
To cope, a friend suggested giving the tumour a nickname. Heulwen called hers “Lucifer.” “It was the enemy. It wasn’t part of me, and it had to go,” she said.
Despite her nursing background, Heulwen had little knowledge of oesophageal cancer. Recurring indigestion was her only symptom. “I started having more indigestion in the summer of 2022, but I felt well overall. I was still working, hadn’t lost weight, wasn’t tired, and had no pain. I asked for an endoscopy thinking it might be a hiatus hernia.”
She also did not fit the typical risk profile. “This cancer usually affects men, heavy drinkers, and smokers. I’ve never smoked, drank heavily, or was male. I felt cheated that I ended up with this type of cancer.”
Heulwen was offered a structured prehabilitation plan on the NHS in Cardiff, which she prioritized. Prehabilitation helps patients prepare for treatment through nutrition, exercise, and mental health support.
“Prehabilitation wasn’t just physical preparation; it built emotional resilience,” she said. “Cancer tries to take control, but reclaiming it through guidance and strength is empowering. I encourage anyone facing this fight to seize every opportunity and follow expert advice.”
After five cycles of chemotherapy and radiation, Heulwen underwent major surgery in April 2023. “I had the Ivor Lewis oesophagectomy, a two-stage procedure removing part of the oesophagus and reconstructing the digestive tract. It’s one of the largest planned operations, and mine took 12 hours.”
Although successful, the operation caused long-term changes. “I have little stomach left, can only eat toddler-sized portions six times a day, and lost about four and a half stone. Recovery is a marathon, taking around 12 months.”
The hardest part, Heulwen said, was giving up her career as a clinical nurse specialist in paediatric dermatology. “I had reached the peak of my career, received the Stone Achievement Award, and had plans for the future. Cancer snatched that away. I felt angry that it took so much from me.”
Now, Heulwen is raising awareness about prehabilitation and cancer care, aiming to help others prepare physically and emotionally for the fight ahead.
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