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A mum has told of the moment she "nearly fainted" when doctors told her the irregular bleeding she thought was the menopause was actually terminal cancer.

The golf ball-sized growth was found in Gail Redpath's womb after she reported bleeding and finding a lump in May 2024. Her GP referred her to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where a consultant diagnosed her with a Bartholin's cyst - a painful benign lump. But upon surgery to remove it, medics found a 10cm tumour.

After a biopsy in June, Gail, 53, from Edinburgh, was diagnosed with stage 4 Leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer found in smooth muscle tissue. She was given just months to live as the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and lungs.

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."I nearly fainted when the doctor told me to get my affairs in order," brave Gail told the Daily Record. "I was told on the same day my dad got diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

"I had no other symptoms. If I wasn't having chemotherapy right now you wouldn't know I have cancer. I have no aches or pains. I'm lucky I'm still here. Every day is a bonus."

Gail is undergoing palliative chemotherapy to keep her alive. Her first thought, she says, is how her 21-year-old twin daughters Eden and Macy are "going to survive".

"I'm the matriarch of the family. I can't bear the thought of not seeing my daughters marry or have children," she said. "When I got diagnosed, I cleared my wardrobe out so they didn't have to. It was like I was already dead.

"I've shut the door on those thoughts or else I'll be pulled down to the depths of depression.

"I don't want people crying at my funeral. My funeral song is going to be Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli and I want them to do the trumpet movement. I've had a good life but I'm not planning on going anywhere soon."

Now, Gail is waiting to join a research trial in Leicester to develop a blood test to detect sarcomas. Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and sarcoma cancer receive very little research funding and Gail is keen to raise awareness.

The charity Sarcoma UK said leiomyosarcoma "develops in the smooth muscle cells, which are sometimes called involuntary muscles because they cause organs to contract without our control". Around 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with sarcomas every day.

• Swelling, tenderness or pain in the bone that can be worse at night
• Stomach pain
• Feeling sick
• Loss of appetite or feeling full after a small amount of food
• Blood in your poo or vomit.