St Austell mum-of-three Em faces a cancer few have heard of

Em has a gift for turning an ordinary afternoon into an adventure for her three young boys. Now the 34-year-old from St Austell is preparing for complex, high-risk surgery on a tumour at the base of her skull.

A cancer that affects around one in a million

Em, a former teacher, has been diagnosed with poorly differentiated chordoma, an exceptionally rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. Her tumour sits dangerously close to her brainstem.

According to the Chordoma Foundation, chordoma affects roughly one in every million people worldwide each year. Em’s family say her subtype is rarer still, accounting for around 1 in 100 million people. It tends to grow more quickly than conventional chordoma and can be considerably harder to treat.

For Em and her partner Mark, and their boys aged six, four and 21 months, the diagnosis has turned family life upside down.

A childhood full of wonder

Friends describe Em as a mum who finds magic in the simplest moments. She has poured her heart into giving her boys a childhood of imagination and adventure, from hand-sewing costumes and baking cakes to exploring nature together.

She and Mark had been working towards a shared dream: a Waldorf-inspired childcare setting rooted in their love of nature, creativity and childhood.

Now, instead of building that future, they are fighting to protect it. With Em increasingly unwell, Mark has stepped away from work to care for her and the children. The family is facing enormous financial uncertainty on top of the diagnosis itself.

Surgery, then what comes after

After her operation, Em is expected to need further specialist treatment and potentially extensive rehabilitation.

Because her cancer is so rare, the family is also exploring specialist medical opinions, appropriate clinical trials and possible treatment opportunities overseas.

A £195,000 appeal

Friends and family have launched an urgent £195,000 GoFundMe appeal to give Em access to every appropriate treatment opportunity, support her recovery and ease the financial burden on the family.

A close friend helping to organise the fundraiser said: “Em has always been so full of life, with an infectious energy and enthusiasm that lifts everyone around her. She embraces every moment wholeheartedly, with so much love, laughter and a wonderful sense of adventure.

“It’s heartbreaking to see someone so vibrant, with three little boys who adore her, facing something so devastating. They should be looking forward to all the adventures and milestones ahead of them, not this unimaginable uncertainty.

“We’re doing everything we can to take away some of the worry so Em and Mark can focus on her treatment and being together as a family.”

Open mat sessions in Newquay and Falmouth

The family have strong connections with Cornwall’s home-education community and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community across the UK. And that support is already showing.

Two fundraising open mat events have been organised for this November, one in Newquay and one in Falmouth.

Every donation, however small, and every share could make a real difference to the family, say the organisers. You can donate or share Em’s story through her fundraising links page.

Details of both open mat events are on Em’s fundraising page.