THE first time Gill Flynn had heard of womb cancer was when she was diagnosed with it.

Gill, now 62, had visited her GP in July 2014 as she was post-menopausal and was having spotting.

When her doctor said she would be seen for tests within two weeks she feared a cancer diagnosis, and she was right.

"I was devastated," says Gill, a former headteacher at Fair Isle Junior School in Southampton, who was head of department at Testwood Sports College at the time of her diagnosis.

"Also, I'd never heard of womb cancer and that felt very isolating."

Gill had six months off of work, during which time she had a hysterectomy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy).

"I had a radical hysterectomy, with 23 lymph nodes removed, as it was a particularly rare and aggressive form of cancer," says Gill, who lives in Lee on Solent with her husband.

"They really don't know why it occurred. Having the hysterectomy was a relief. I felt it would be me cured. Then I had the radiotherapy and brachytherapy to mop up any rogue cells."

After Gill's treatment had finished, in January 2015, she made the decision to take early retirement.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had a very real fear that I might die," she says.

"I was very relieved to finish my treatment. I felt I'd survived to tell the tale. But having cancer changes you, and it made me realise that life is short," says Gill, whose cancer is now in remission.

"My husband and I had moved from Eastleigh to Lee on Solent for his retirement and I decided to retire as well so that we could enjoy our time and have a nice life by the sea."

Gill spent a year living life to the full, but in 2016 was struck down with excruciating pelvic pain, which made it difficult to walk.

Tests revealed she was suffering from pelvic radiation disease as a result of her treatment for cancer.

"The radiotherapy had dried out my bones in the pelvic region and I have a form of osteoporosis, with hairline fractures," explains Gill.

"I was registered disabled, and I now have a wheelchair and a mobility scooter, but mostly I get around with sticks."

Gill says that being diagnosed with the condition was almost as devastating as her cancer diagnosis, although she adds that she still would have gone ahead with the radiation treatment, even if she had known the risks.

"It was worth the risk," she adds. "I am here to see my grandchildren and enjoy life."

Gill was offered hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which involves breathing oxygen under high pressure in a chamber, but she declined.

"It was partly because I am a bit claustrophobic and also because I didn't want to go back to the notion of being a patient again," she says.

"But I looked into what the benefits are, and basically it's to get more blood pumping to the bones, so I decided to take up swimming instead."

She began swimming in a hydrotherapy pool before building up her confidence enough to swim in a public pool, Gosport Leisure Centre.

"Swimming has really helped me manage my pain," says Gill, who was previously on morphine for pain relief, but now only uses over the counter pain killers when needed.

"It stops me from getting too depressed or despondent.

"When I swim, I'm not in any pain.

Gill decided to put her swimming ability to good use, by being sponsored to raise money for The Eve Appeal, the only UK national charity raising awareness and funding research into the five gynaecological cancers – ovarian, womb, cervical, vaginal and vulval.

She is no stranger to fundraising. In 2015, she raised more than £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by asking friends and family for donations to the charity rather than gifts for her 60th birthday.

This month she is swimming the equivalent distance of the Channel in her local pool – that's 22 miles over 31 days, meaning she has to swim 44 lengths at a time.

She has already smashed her initial £500 target, having raised more than £1,600 for the charity

"I wanted to raise money for The Eve Appeal because I know the difference that they made to me, for help with pain management and wellbeing.

"Also, there is still not being done to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers and their impact and aftermath.

"I've now been clear of cancer for three years, and that's part of what spurred me on to want to take on this challenge."

Before she began swimming to help manage her pelvic radiation disease, Gill was not a particularly strong swimmer, but that has changed since.

"I wanted to swim to raise money and awareness because it's something I'm good at," she says.

"I don't want to focus on disability. I'm differently-abled. This allows me to focus on what I can do, not what I can't."

* You can sponsor Gill by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gill-flynnswimsthechannel