Carly Scott, a 38-year-old Kenton teacher, has said she is “not ready to die” after receiving the heartbreaking news that she has terminal cancer
21:12, 24 Jan 2026Updated 13:56, 25 Jan 2026
Carly Scott (Image: Carly Scott)
A teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer has said she is “not ready to die” as she makes a heartbreaking plea.
Carly Scott, 38, from Kenton in Newcastle upon Tyne, is urging others to attend vital cervical screening appointments after doctors discovered that she had been living with cancer for around eight years.
She was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in early 2025 and was told just days ago that it has now progressed to stage four. Despite the devastating news, she is not giving up hope and is seeking alternative treatments in a bid to prolong her life, ChronicleLive reports.
Carly hopes to travel to a private clinic in Germany specialising in Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE), a minimally invasive treatment costing around £30,000. She is also researching proton therapy, an alternative treatment not available on the NHS, but must first see a specialist to determine whether she is eligible.
Carly and her partner Joe(Image: Carly Scott)
Carly, who works as a teacher at a North Tyneside SEMH school, said: “Exactly a year ago I got the flu and started haemorrhaging blood. I had no symptoms before then, maybe when I look back a little tired and fatigue but I didn’t realise.
“The first time I went to the hospital they thought it was going to be a heavy period and sent me home and see how it goes.” After feeling faint and suffering a three-hour bleed a week later, Carly returned to hospital.
“That’s when they realised it wasn’t normal because my Haemoglobin levels should have been about 110 but they’re about 45 and I needed a blood transfusion,” she said.
“If I hadn’t gone in that day they said I probably would of gone home and had a heart attack and died that night. Then when they looked, doctors realised I had cervical cancer and said I’d had it about eight years.” Carly began treatment immediately and started losing her hair within a week. She did not return to work for six months.
Carly and her friends Becca and Kerry, who set up the GoFundMe page(Image: Carly Scott)
Speaking to ChronicleLive, she said: “Now I found out days ago my treatment isn’t curative anymore. They’re hoping that I’m eligible for immunotherapy and putting me on chemo every three weeks. And they think if it all goes well, I’ve got two years left.”
Following the news, friends Becca and Kerry set up a GoFundMe page to help Carly with living costs and access to specialist consolations and treatment options outside of the NHS. More than £9,000 has been raised in just days, which Carly described as “astounding”.
Carly’s parents are planning to sell their home to help raise funds, and Carly has since returned to work, with her wages going towards further treatment. She said cancer “is possibly the most expensive thing you can go through in life”, adding: “I had savings before it happened and they’ve all gone.
“Because my workplace couldn’t pay me my whole way through I went on statutory sick pay and was entitled to £100 a month Universal Credit. Because I own my house I’m not entitled to housing benefits so basically my choice was go back to work or be homeless with cancer. So that’s why this fundraiser is so important.”
Carly has also suffered kidney damage as a result of radiotherapy and brachytherapy, leaving her in chronic pain. She is awaiting surgery for a kidney stent before she can begin further treatment.
Carly Scott has been diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer (Image: Carly Scott)
She said: “I think right now I’m just not accepting it and that’s why I’m trying to go private and get more help. It would mean everything to me.
“My mum’s got a muscle wasting disease and me and my sister have always looked out for each other and been there for each other and it horrifies me that I’m not going to be there for her and she’ll have to do it alone when I’m not here. I’m only 38, I can’t just let it go already.”
After suffering PTSD in her childhood, Carly avoided smear tests due to anxiety. “Every time I got a letter I replied ‘sorry I’m too anxious’,” she said. But she has since discovered accommodations could have been provided. “I found out after I had cancer that I should have been referred to be put to sleep to get a smear, and it’s a really easy thing and quick referral from your doctor and it’s done,” she said.
Carly is now spreading awareness during Cervical Cancer Awareness Week. “If that had of happened I wouldn’t be dying,” she said. “I think there’s probably loads of women like me who just don’t go because they’re a bit scared or have mental health conditions that are affected.
Carly with her mum and sister (Image: Carly Scott)
“I was really shocked, I just didn’t think that was an option and I would like to make more people aware of that. I’m desperate for some help but also help other people out there. If I do have to die I’d like it to go to something good.”
Carly said her partner Joe has struggled with the situation: “He tries not to think about it and you turn the tele on and its just everywhere,” she said. “It sounds weird but once you’ve got cancer you seem to be constantly bombarded with cancer things.”
The 38-year-old teacher said it has been “wild but also really heart-warming” to see the support she has received. “I’ve realised how many people actually care and how supportive everyone’s been,” she said.
“When I’ve gone back to work the students have been amazing and looked after me. It was quite shocking for them as I went back with a wig and a wheelchair as I get quite dizzy. The downside of cancer is cancer. The upside is how lovely everyone has been.” To support Carly, donate to the fundraiser here.