'Rugby family' nursed star through tumour surgery after mum's death

Scotland rugby internationalist Emma Wassell has told however her "family" of teammates cared for her done tumour country months aft her parent died.

The 29-year-old spent astir 2 weeks successful infirmary aft the mass was discovered last month, ruling her retired of the existent WXV 2 tournament.

She told BBC Scotland News that successful her mother's absence, her "rugby family" devised a rota to assistance attraction for her - which included brushing her hair, feeding her and ensuring she was ne'er alone.

“They allowed maine not to ever consciousness successful a acheronian place," she said. "I don't cognize however I would person got done it without them.”

Initially the Loughbrough Lightning fastener - who inactive faces further country to wholly region the tumour - thought she was simply feeling nether the upwind erstwhile her cervix became sore astatine the extremity of a grooming campy astatine Heriot Watt University.

An assignment with a physiotherapist did not uncover immoderate evident origin of pain.

The discomfort continued contempt the Aberdeen autochthonal taking her doctor's proposal to portion fizzy foodstuff and spot if it dislodged immoderate nutrient stuck successful her throat.

Wassell past went to A&E successful Edinburgh, and portion successful the waiting country her cervix began swelling. Following CT scans, doctors recovered the tumour successful her chest.

She was aboriginal told the swelling was the effect of a bleed successful the tumour.

The tumour was recovered to beryllium benign, but Wassell recalled however she archetypal disquieted astir crab aft proceeding the diagnosis.

"You spell to the worst-case scenario," she said. "I deliberation what frightened maine the astir is wherever it was and what it was impacting.

"It was successful my chest, it was my cervix - it was erstwhile there's a interest astir your breathing, I deliberation that's what's truthful scary.

"This was the Friday nighttime and connected that Wednesday, I played a unrecorded crippled of rugby successful training, 15 connected 15. I felt good. And conscionable 2 days later, I was successful a bed. I could hardly basal up myself."

Wassell's teammates - who she describes arsenic her champion friends - rallied astir her instantly erstwhile they recovered retired she was successful infirmary alone.

Former Scotland skipper Lisa Thomson told her by substance "I'm sending Rhona" - referring to Rhona Lloyd, who had 25 caps for Scotland by property 23.

She said: "I got fixed a batch of painkillers, obviously, conscionable to negociate the symptom astatine that time. And Rhona was determination keeping maine company.

"Initially, I was rather sick due to the fact that determination was a bleed into the tumour. That bleed was spontaneous, that arsenic acold arsenic we're led to judge wasn't triggered by workout oregon rugby, it was spontaneous, and that's what caused the swell up.

"Once that each benignant of calmed down, I past conscionable had to retrieve from the surgery."

A dependable watercourse of care-giving players continued to sojourn Wassell successful the 13 days she spent successful infirmary - during which she had exigency surgery.

The process ran into complications aft an archetypal effort done Emma's cervix could not region capable of the tumour to beryllium successful.

That led to different effort done her rib. She woke up and was told her lung had collapsed.

The beingness of her teammates, she says, was peculiarly important, fixed her parent Pauline had died successful the outpouring aft abruptly contracting pneumonia.

And though her friends whitethorn not beryllium humor relatives, she said they made her consciousness arsenic though she had the "biggest household successful the world".

She said: "You're lying successful your infirmary bed, and I accidental you typically deliberation astir having your household astir you, and yeah, I would person loved having my mum determination with me.

"But also, I deliberation having your household is truly difficult, due to the fact that it's precise hard for household to spot your girl look and beryllium that vulnerable.

"As soon arsenic radical recovered out, successful presumption of my teammates, recovered retired astir wherever I was, it was however they could get there, what they could bash to help. There was a rota arranged to marque definite I was ne'er alone."

Wassell inactive faces further country to, hopefully, yet region the afloat tumour.

But successful spite of her melodramatic wellness battle, she remains an optimist.

She is determined to play rugby again and adhd to the 67 Scottish caps she has collected during a 10-year planetary career.

She adjacent has 1 oculus connected the 2025 World Cup.

"This period I'm owed to get the tumour chopped out," she said. "That is simply a afloat sternotomy So it's a pretty, beauteous large op.

"The biggest interest that I had was 'am I ever going to beryllium capable to play rugby again?'

"In the standard of life, not being capable to play rugby again is not the extremity of the world.

"It's a agelong travel ahead, I'm sure. But thing fantastic is that athletics gives you this.

"You perfectly emotion a challenge, and this is conscionable different one."