Many people in Chester may know Irene Jones.

As deputy head of the Queen’s School, the 53-year-old from Westminster Park has taught hundreds of Chester students during her illustrious 15-year career at the school, which included a stint as head of music.

With a satisfying job and a happy family life - Irene is married to Ian and mum to teenagers Isobel and Eddie - life was good in February 2016 when the family took a short break to France for half term.

But Irene started feeling unwell, she was incredibly tired, had an upset tummy and her indigestion was playing up.

When she started itching and twitching to a great extent, she assumed she’d had an allergic reaction to antacid tablets. But it became so bad that she visited her GP when she got home, who diagnosed jaundice after it became obvious Irene’s skin was turning yellow.

“It quickly became clear then that there was something more serious going on,”

“After scans and endoscopies, I was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer," Irene recalls.

The cancerous tumor had completely blocked Irene’s bile duct, but luckily there was no evidence of cancer spreading to her lymph nodes so she didn’t have to have chemotherapy.

However, she did have to have a major operation called pancreaticoduodenectomy, known as the Whipple procedure, in which the head of the pancreas is removeWoked.

Just one month after going to see her GP, Irene underwent the major operation at Liverpool Royal Hospital.

“I was in The Royal for a month,” she said. “The expertise, skill and care of every professional I came into contact with was absolutely brilliant and I have nothing but praise and thanks for them all. The NHS were spectacularly wonderful to me.”

Recovery

The operation has an 18 months-two year recovery process because as Irene said: “I have been completely replumbed, albeit by a fabulous surgeon.”

She has made a good recovery in the past year but has to take tablets to help with digestion and strength, something she feels is a small price to pay for a good prognosis.

“I’ve been able to get back to most things and I know others haven’t been as lucky. I’m delighted that I’ve been able to go back to hobbies like playing in the Wrexham Symphony Orchestra. I’ve pretty much returned to my life but I’m not complacent in any way. Cancer is ruthless,” she added.

But as ruthless as it is, she is determined it won’t stop her from taking part in Chester’s Race for Life this Sunday (July 9). And although she predicts she’ll probably end up walking most of the 5k, Irene is going to give it her best shot to raise money for Cancer Research and awareness of pancreatic cancers.

“I have done Race for Life before but this time it has a different meaning,” she said. “I met a good friend in hospital and she is very poorly at the moment – I’m doing it for her.”

The signs

Irene added: “I would pass on a phrase I have said to a few people over the last 18 months – listen to your body and if it’s telling you something is wrong do not ignore it.

“I was itching so badly and was turning yellow - a sign of liver disease. I was also really tired which I put down to working too hard. But your body is trying to tell you something - always listen to it.

“Sometimes cholangiocarcinoma can be misdiagnosed as a skin condition because of the itching so in a way I was lucky to turn yellow.

“I was also very lucky to be able to have life-saving surgery. And I am also embracing another phrase post-surgery, which is just ‘go out and live your life’.”

Irene has so far raised £570 for Cancer Research in just three days.

You can sponsor her here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/irene-jones6