At 35, Vix Crane was given devastating news and told she may not live to Christmas.

Now, the Castletown woman is taking her health into her own hands and refusing to give up on the future.

A trip to Accident and Emergency in August last year was expected to be a quick visit.

Instead, after being admitted overnight, doctors delivered news the following morning that would change her life.

Following a CT scan, doctors rushed Vix into surgery to remove a 15cm tumour which had burst, causing internal bleeding.

The operation resulted in Vix losing her right ovary, before a subsequent biopsy revealed the tumour was cancerous.

Vix was diagnosed with a granulosa cell tumour, a rare type of ovarian cancer which typically grows slowly and is often associated with a change in the FOXL2 gene.

Following her surgery, Vix's scans remained clear until December 2025. But by February 2026, she says the cancer had returned and was growing aggressively.

Doctors gave her two options: further surgery or chemotherapy.

The proposed surgery would involve removing her remaining ovary, uterus, lymph nodes, omentum, the lining around her organs and part of her bowel, potentially resulting in her having a colostomy bag.

Her spleen and the lining of her diaphragm could also potentially be affected.

She was then offered chemotherapy, but chose not to proceed with that option either. Vix said she was told neither treatment would provide a cure, but could potentially give her more time.

After discussions with doctors, she said she was told she may not live to see Christmas.

Amid the uncertainty, Vix had also been made redundant. By August, she decided to put everything else aside and focus on her health.

She said hearing the prognosis had been particularly difficult.

‘I’ve had my breakdowns, and I’ve been absolutely petrified, because my sister was in the room with me at the time when my consultant said about not making it to Christmas.

‘Seeing her break down as well made me think, “Oh my gosh, am I making the right choice?” If they are correct, then four months wasn’t very long to mess around.’

Vix initially agreed to undergo a second surgery but, after feeling increasingly drained, weak and depressed, cancelled it a few days later.

She has since chosen to pursue what she describes as a holistic and alternative approach, changing her diet and taking supplements alongside practices including Reiki, breathwork, sound baths and kambo [Amazonian purging ritual].

‘I’m now taking a full holistic and alternative approach, changing my diet, taking multiple supplements, just keeping everything as clean as possible. I’m basically trying everything under the sun.’

Now, in October, Vix said: ‘Today going forward, I'm feeling very positive and confident. I do get a few sensations in the abdomen area, but I have just got to keep telling myself that my body's just doing its thing, and I'm gonna get through this, all I know is that this isn't the end.

‘I keep saying: “I'm not dying; I'm transforming”.’

She continues to draw on a strong support network of friends and family, with one friend setting up a GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/b6ee69f3c to help support her as she navigates her illness.

All of the funds will go towards the different holistic approaches she is taking.