Edinburgh mum diagnosed with cancer at age 28 gives birth to 'miracle baby'
An Edinburgh mum-of-two who overcame cancer at age 28 is now leading the charge against the disease in Scotland's capital to help save lives.
Nikki Milligan was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in January 2022.
The mum can vividly recall the uncertainty she when doctors at the Western General Hospital broke the news of her diagnosis.
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In December the year before, a lump appeared near Nikki's collar bone and she suffered symptoms including night sweats. She had an x-ray after blood tests indicated there may be an issue and only hours after the x-ray the GP called her.
Nikki said: 'I thought the x-ray results would take around 10 days to come, so when my GP called me back the same day I knew the news wouldn't be good.
'They'd found a tumour on my neck and my chest. I had a biopsy on Christmas Eve, 2021. My daughter was only three at the time and going through Christmas waiting for those final January results was hard.'
Nikki lost her long, dark hair to the side effects of treatment. She had six months of chemotherapy in total including two stays in hospital. But on August 18, 2022, Nikki completed her final session.
Just months later, Nikki was overjoyed to discover she was pregnant again. Her younger daughter Abbie was born on December 26, 2023.
Nikki said: 'I feel so lucky. After treatment for cancer, I didn't even know if I'd be able to have another child but here we are blessed with our Boxing Day baby.'
The mum was guest of honour at Cancer Research UK's Race for Life Pretty Muddy Edinburgh. She joined her partner Jason McFarlane and their daughters Zoe, six, and Abbie, one, sounding the starter horn to send 1,500 people on a 5k mud-splattered obstacle course in The Meadows.
A total of £160,000 was raised- vital funds which will enable scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer- to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
Every year around 34,600 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland. Nikki, now 31, from Edinburgh picked up a well earned medal after completing Pretty Muddy with Claire Wight, a close friend from their school days together at Tynecastle High School.
Nikki said: 'I am incredibly grateful to be here to raise my two girls. It's hard to put in to words exactly how it feels to be healthy and surrounded by love.
"This summer will mark three years of me being in remission from cancer. I will forever be thankful to my family for their unwavering support and to the NHS for getting me better.
'I'm proud to be able to help others. I want to support research for people going through cancer right now and to help find better treatments for my daughters' generation.'
Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, in partnership with headline sponsor Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, is an inspiring series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.
Now organisers are sending a heartfelt message of thanks to everyone who put their best feet forward as well as their supporters. And they're appealing for people to make every step count by paying in sponsorship money as soon as possible.
Since it began in 1994, more than 10 million people have taken part in Race for Life, contributing millions of pounds towards life-saving research.
Race for Life events which take place across the country are open to all ages and abilities. It includes events everywhere from Aberdeen to Ayr, Falkirk to Fife, Edinburgh, Dundee, Stirling and Inverness.
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