A MUM who is recovering from kidney cancer is urging people with symptoms to get checked out, despite concerns over the coronavirus.

Mary Stopher made the appeal as part of Kidney Cancer Awareness Week.

The mum-of-two from Sible Hedingham said being diagnosed with kidney cancer shook her and her family to the core.

Within a month of her diagnosis, Mary had to undergo a six-hour operation to remove a tumour from her kidney.

Mary, who is 54, is now in remission following treatment and a lengthy healing process.

She spoke out to raise awareness to support the Kidney Cancer UK charity.

She said she was saddened to discover there was limited support and awareness surrounding kidney cancer.

She launched the Butterfly Box initiative just before the first national lockdown hit, working with Kidney Cancer UK to provide thoughtfully-crafted care packages to sufferers of the illness.

Mary said the name was inspired by several poignant encounters with butterflies, which often happened when she was leaving the house to go for treatment.

She hopes to pass on the feeling of comfort to others and help tackle the isolation she felt, especially during the early stages of her illness.

Statistics from NHS England show that urgent cancer referrals have dropped by 60 per cent since the start of the pandemic as medical resources are thrown into fighting Covid-19 which has also put a strain on hospital capacity.

However, cases of kidney cancer are on the rise with the disease affecting more than 13,000 people in the UK every year, according to Kidney Cancer UK

Chelmsford Town Hall and Clacton Pier will this week be lit up in green to mark Kidney Cancer Awareness Week, which is now in its sixth year.

Various fundraising activities are also taking place on Green Friday this Friday to raise desperately-needed funds for the charity.

Although kidney cancer can often be fatal, the charity says most patients diagnosed with the disease don’t even know cancer can affect the kidneys.

The most common symptoms are long-term pain in the back or side, blood in urine and fatigue.

People are urged to spread the word about kidney cancer on social media using the hashtag #KCAW2021 and wear something green on Friday.

For more information about Kidney Cancer UK, go to www.kcuk.org.uk.