Nicky’s Fight for Time
When a Co Antrim mum with incurable cancer braved the chop for a pre-chemo hair makeover, she wasn’t expecting Gok Wan, Martin Kemp and Joel Dommett to turn up!
Mandi Millar reports
A Whitehead hairdresser is hoping a stem cell transplant will buy her the time she so desperately wants to spend with her family.
Life’s been on hold for Nicky Finnis for the last three years since she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and a rare condition associated with it called cardiac amyloidosis.
Yet despite her mounting struggles in that time, the mum of two says the whole experience has actually helped her think more positively about life – and she’s even using it to support other families like hers by fundraising for the Cancer Fund for Children.
“The transplant isn’t going to cure me but it will give me time, and that’s the most important thing,” explains Nicky, who will still face a future of long-term treatment in a bid to manage her condition.
“But hopefully the transplant will ensure I’m in the best possible shape for the chemo.”
Nicky, a Brand Master Educator for hair brand Revlon working throughout the UK, first became unwell in 2022 when she noticed swelling and hardening in her leg.
“In hindsight there were lots of little things going on, but I didn’t put them all together,” she says.
“It was during the first lockdown when we had that great weather and, as I’ve always been a bit of a gym bunny and ate healthily, I made sure to get my walk in each day.
“However, I was getting increasingly short of breath and my other limbs were starting to harden up too. I was so stiff I wasn’t even able to put my bra on, and it got progressively worse until I couldn’t stick out my tongue, I was dribbling and my speech was affected too.
“I’d severe neuropathy pains in my hands and feet and eventually I was flat out in bed, totally fatigued.”
Despite all this, her condition was initially put down to fibromyalgia or the menopause – even the hot weather at the time was suggested as a possible cause.
“To be honest I didn’t really feel listened to, but I knew something was seriously wrong,” says Nicky, who insisted on a referral after a high iron count which she feared might indicate haemochromatosis, another incurable condition sometimes causing similar symptoms.
“That test came back positive, but ironically that probably saved my life, as I was sent right away to a gastroenterologist who also then realised there was a lot more going on. He brought in a cardiologist and neurologist, and finally my diagnosis was pieced together.”
But it wasn’t good news. Nicky’s cancer was incurable. A stem cell transplant, which would have to be carried out in a London hospital, was her best hope of at least managing it going forward.
“In a way though I’m one of the lucky ones. Amyloidosis is rare in younger women and usually occurs in men over 70, so at least I have youth and health on my side for undertaking the treatment,” she says.
Months of chemo followed to stabilise her condition for the procedure, during which time she and her family – Ellison (18) and Ethan (12) – were supported by the Cancer Fund for Children.
“They have been by our side from the start and their help has been second to none. We couldn’t have got through it without them,” admits Nicky.
“Because my condition is so rare it was difficult sometimes to get answers and for the children to understand what was going on, but they were incredible, offering one-to-one sessions for Ethan and Ellison, therapies and respite breaks for me and for us as a family.
“It was a chance for Ellison and Ethan to meet other young people in similar situations and it lessened that sense of isolation by giving them a chance to talk away from me and learn coping skills.
“My son is so involved now he’s on the charity’s youth engagement scheme, coming up with ideas on what kids like them need, campaigning and fundraising!” says Nicky, whose transplant finally took place last month (October) using her own stem cells.
They were harvested and treated to remove the cancer so they could be used in the procedure.
“Chemo will then annihilate my system before it starts building up again,” explains Nicky, who, in a bid to pre-empt the inevitable hair loss, decided to plump for a pixie cut before the op – in public!
“I didn’t want to wake up some morning with my long hair on the pillow beside me, so work came up with the idea of using my cut and colour as a Revlon showcase event in The Lantern building, central London!” says Nicky.
“The whole event was perfect for me as it meant I was in work mode – just a model going for a short pixie look, not someone who had to get her hair chopped off before she lost it,” continues Nicky, who even managed to pull in support for her makeover from no less than Gok Wan, Joel Dommett and Martin Kemp.
“Their radio stations are also based in The Lantern and they dropped by, so it was a great opportunity to publicise Cancer Fund for Children!” continues Nicky, who hopes to be home by December following weeks in post-op isolation while her immune system rebuilds.
“Christmas will be very special this year. Even though this treatment isn’t about a cure, it will allow me time. I’m really looking forward to finally taking my finger off the pause button on my life, getting back to a bit of normality and to the job which I absolutely love and miss wholeheartedly.
“It will be good not to be the girl who’s got cancer so much as the girl who’s just going about her daily life.”
