Tracey Emin opens up about living with cancer
Tracey Emin has opened up about living with cancer and being fitted with a stoma.
The artist was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020 and subsequently had the organ removed but as a result was fitted with a stoma which is a piece of flesh sewn onto the body.
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Emin wrote on Instagram: "About 25 years ago I made a neon that said EVERY PART OF MY BODY IS BLEEDING. At the time I meant it metaphorically.
"But for the last 7 years it’s been real. Blood would just pour out of holes..
She added: "It’s part of my everyday life. Something no one ever sees. Well now you do…"
After having her bladder and some of her reproductive organs removed, Emin was fitted with a stoma which is for people who do not have full use of their bladder. A removable pouch is then attached to the stoma through a tube which collects urine.
In September, Emin expressed how she missed some of her organs: "I have to be honest.. I wish I had my bladder (a good working one that wasn't riddled with cancer) I don't give a f*** about my womb or breeding apparatus. But I really miss my vagina, my urethra and those bloody little lymph nodes that kept everything tickity boo."
Emin also said that she was in remission after her scans came back clear but revealed that she was still struggling to paint due to the effects of her surgery.
Bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK and around 10,000 people are diagnosed with it every year in Britain.
The disease is more common in men and has a 10 year survival rate of around 50%.
Symptoms of bladder cancer include blood in the urine, needing to urinate more often and pelvic pain.
Smoking and being exposed to chemicals in plastics and paint can increase your chances of having bladder cancer.
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