MICHAELA New is lucky to be alive.

A month ago she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and was rushed to hospital to undergo a life-saving operation to remove her right fallopian tube.

But despite the emotional-rollercoaster, she is more determined than ever before to complete the Swindon Half Marathon on September 3 to raise awareness of the rare condition and encourage others to seek help if they experience any symptoms.

“I’d been having various health issues for a long time, but had been ignoring them and putting them down to stress due to moving house,” the 28-year-old explained.

“It never even cross my mind that I could have been pregnant because I thought I was having any other period that lasted too long because of stress.

“The thing that made me call the NHS 111 number for advice was where the pain was in my stomach because it was radiating down my leg.

"When I went to the hospital, they did a triage and when I was leaving the room, the nurse said is there any chance you could be pregnant? I said no, I’ve been bleeding for nearly five weeks. He called us straight back in and I remember seeing the result on the corner of the desk. I quickly went through the emotions of having this exciting news but then realising there must be a serious problem.”

An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.

If left untreated, the outcome could be fatal. Now Michaela will be lacing up her trainers to raise awareness of the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust who were vital in helping her find out about the condition.

“I want to complete it for the achievement but now, it is about getting the message out there about the trust and making people aware of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancies so they can get the right support. 

“I ignored the symptoms for five weeks but now I’ve been through it, the longer you leave something like that the more dangerous it gets.

“When I came out of hospital, I wasn’t given information about the future and it was my dad who saw a poster in the waiting room about the trust and so I emailed them. They’ve been so helpful in answering questions and the website has some brilliant pages on questions you will have. From going through all that, I want to make sure people know that support is there.”

And while Michaela, who lives in Peatmoor, is still in recovery from her operation, she is looking forward to running, or perhaps walking her way round the course.

“I have lived in Swindon all my life and so I’m really looking forward to going around the places I know, with friends and family along the route cheering me on.
“I have been open about my experience from day one because I know that it might save someone else’s life.”