Paula Radcliffe reveals she’s ‘living in constant fear’ of daughter’s agonising health battle – and why she feels guilty

AFTER her teenage daughter got the all-clear from cancer, Paula Radcliffe thought her family’s health nightmare was over. But the record-breaking long-distance runner soon came to realise a hard truth: “You’re never on the other side.” Paula Radcliffe reveals she’s ‘living in constant fear’ of her daughter Isla’s agonising health battle Credit: Getty Olympian Paula with Isla in 2014Credit: Refer to Source Today, four-time Olympian Paula reveals her girl Isla had another terrifying ­cancer scare two years later, which left them both living in constant fear. In an exclusive interview Paula, 52, says: “Any other little cramp or pain and she’s going to spiral.” Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! In 2020, Isla, now 19, was diagnosed with an ultra-rare form of ­ovarian cancer after doctors found a malignant 16x13cm tumour in her abdomen. She had to have her right ovary and part of her Fallopian tube removed as well as chemotherapy. But in 2023, two years after being given the all-clear, a test recorded a shadow in her abdomen. Paula says: “After one of Isla’s ­routine MRI scans, I was called for a follow-up appointment at a different hospital. They told me they had seen a shadow on her remaining ovary. “I was trying not to panic, to stay calm for her, while at the same time thinking, ‘What could this be?’ But your mind goes off imagining what could ­happen. A few days later, the doctors took her in for keyhole surgery, which didn’t find anything. “Then she had a three-hour op in which they opened her up. They couldn’t see anything then either, so in the end, they ­concluded it was just a shadow or benign abnormality. Most read in Sport “But how do you explain to a 15-year-old that she’s just gone through three hours of surgery to be left none the wiser? “We never found out if the pain Isla had been suffering before she was first diagnosed was caused by her period or by the tumour, so every time the time of the month comes around, it’s a tension. “As a parent, the biggest thing is the helplessness. You would rather go through it yourself than have them go through it.” Paula struggles with a feeling of guilt that she didn’t spot her ­daughter’s cancer earlier. Keen runner Isla had been experiencing tiredness and painful periods, which she dismissed as normal. Paula says: “The first sign was how much Isla was sleeping. She was struggling to get up. She started her periods in March, and they were very painful. At times I had friends ­she was with calling me saying she was curled up on the bathroom floor in pain. “There were mood swings, too. She just started being volatile, to the point that I thought maybe she was struggling with the loss of my dad, who died in April 2020. So I booked her in to see a psychologist. “I was trying to do the right things. But my mind never went to something more serious. “Isla had won the regional cross-country championships in February, when the tumour potentially was already growing. Family fun for Paula, with Isla and Raphael Credit: Instagram @paula_radcliffe Paula wins the New York half-marathon in 2009 Credit: Getty Images – Getty “But then the ­biggest sign we needed to get help was that she was passing black blood every couple of weeks. And then she felt the mass.” Isla had a series of blood tests and her alpha-fetoprotein level — which indicates the presence of a tumour — was 73,000. A reading of six is healthy. Paula says: “When we had the first scans, they told us what they had found was massive. They told me to come in the next day ­separately, and I knew. “It was a huge shock, but the doctor was phenomenal — she explained the tumour was perfectly survivable. Then Isla came in and she could see how upset I was. “But when she was told, I think she was actually relieved to know what was wrong.” Isla started chemotherapy in the September while her friends were going back to school. In November she had the surgery to remove her ovary and, by April 2021, she had received the all-clear. In our interview Paula, who is speaking out to mark ­Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, says: “If I had spotted it sooner, would they have been able to save her ovary? “You start thinking, ‘Is this something I did when I was pregnant?’ “I was lucky that the doctors were very, very good from the beginning. They explained it was a germ cell type that was just there from conception, this is nothing to do with anything you have done. “But what we have been through has made me more paranoid.” Paula married Gary Lough, a former 1,500-metre runner and former coach in 2001. She says she ­panicked when their son Raphael, 17, recently blacked out at school. She says: “I called the paediatrician and said, ‘I know I’m being paranoid, but please can you do a blood test and check his alpha-fetoproteins?’ “For me, just to see that number — I don’t care how much that test costs me.” Thankfully, Isla, who is now at ­Durham University, has not had any further scares since 2023, though Paula says her daughter still suffers from the effects of her treatment. She went on: “Isla hasn’t really grown since she had chemotherapy. “Luckily she was quite a tall 13-year-old, and now she’s kind of average. She has lost hearing too. “For about a year and a half, she had what they call ‘chemo brain’ — she would forget things shehad just read minutes later.” Fortunately, Isla’s memory had improved by the time she took her A-levels. Paula says: “More research needs to be done into child-specific treatment for cancer. “Treating kids with the same chemo as adults is going to have far greater side-effects on their bodies as they grow older.” Like her mum, Isla is an ambassador for Children With Cancer UK, which is launching a new TV show, Kids Like Us: Reunited, on Tuesday. They hope the programme, which features stories from young people with cancer, will raise awareness around the emotional and physical challenges they face from treatment. Paula says: “The most important advice I can give families like ours, is to put a support team around you. Just having someone there to talk to can make a huge difference.” SPOT EARLY SYMPTOMS WHILE childhood cancer is thankfully rare – just 0.4 per cent of all new cases – there are a number of signs parents can watch out for. Children With Cancer UK ambassador Dr Mohammed Abbas Khaki said most symptoms will have a much more common and harmless explanation. He added: “However, parents should seek medical advice if they notice symptoms that are persistent, unexplained or unusual for their child.” Signs to be aware of include: unusual tiredness or paleness, unexplained bruising or bleeding, persistent lumps or swelling, unexplained weight loss or recurrent fevers, persistent bone or joint pain, or headaches and vomiting that keep returning. Changes to the eyes or vision, including a white reflection in the pupil, should also be checked by a GP. He added: “Parents know their children best. “If something doesn’t feel right, isn’t improving as expected or the symptoms are getting worse, I would always encourage them to seek medical advice. “They should return for another assessment if they remain concerned.” Comment now