Footballer’s Wife Makes Heartbreaking Plea for Cancer Treatment: ‘It’s Too Soon to Leave My Kids’

A footballer’s wife and mom of two has shared her heartbreak after her “biggest fear” became real. The cancer she’s been fighting for years has now spread to her lungs.

Rachel Borthwick, from Glasgow, is married to St Johnstone player Graham Carey. She’s battling cancer for the fourth time and raising money on GoFundMe to afford treatment in Germany.

The 36-year-old has raised over £100,000 but still needs £50,000 more to reach her goal.

This week, Rachel got even worse news from her doctors. They told her the cancer, which started in her breast, has now spread to both lungs.

“My heart is broken,” Rachel said. “My worst fear has come true, and I’m completely numb.

“The cancer in my lungs is small right now, but I’m devastated.

“I’m trying to stay positive, but I always feared that if it spread to a major organ, it would be the start of a downhill spiral.

“I can’t even process this. Life is so unfair.”

Rachel, mom to 9-year-old Jaxon and 7-year-old Marlow, said she had “no symptoms” and was in great health when she first found a lump in her breast in September 2021.

Six weeks later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began treatment.

She was declared cancer-free in November 2022, but her nightmare returned in March 2023 when she found another lump in her armpit.

In June 2023, during treatment, she found a third lump in the same area. That, too, was cancerous.

By November 2023, she had received her fourth cancer diagnosis.

Despite rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, none have worked for long, so Rachel started a fundraiser to cover the cost of alternative treatments in Germany.

“So far, I’ve found two places in Germany that seem promising, but I’m still emailing and getting more information,” Rachel said.

“I’m not sure if they can treat more than my lungs. If not, the cancer in my chest and muscles will keep growing.”

Rachel says the treatments in Germany are extremely expensive, costing £150,000, which she calls “unfair.”

“I feel blessed to have raised some money through GoFundMe, but I still need more,” she added.

“I can’t tell my kids I’m leaving them. It’s too soon.

“This is my final push to pay for as many trips and treatments as possible.

“My cancer grows fast, so we’re running out of time.”

Before her first diagnosis, Rachel lived a healthy lifestyle, exercised regularly, and rarely got sick.

“I had no symptoms,” she explained. “I was fit, healthy, and always at the gym.

“Being told I had cancer the first time was horrible. Getting it three more times is indescribable.

“Now, I live in fear every day. I feel like a ticking time bomb, and every second is precious.”

Rachel says the cancer has deeply affected her children.

“They know what’s happening because I’m always honest with them,” she said.

“My kids shouldn’t have to think about a life without their mom.

“They mean everything to me, and I promised them I would fight this with everything I have.

“Everything I do is for them.”