“In July 2021 I had a hospital procedure, as my doctor thought I might have fibroids. When I came round, they told me they thought it might be a cancerous tumour instead. My samples were then sent off for a biopsy and they confirmed that cancer had been detected. At this point, they thought that it was stage 1 or 2 but I was referred to The Royal Marsden for further investigations."

"I went to The Royal Marsden in Sutton for a CT scan and MRI. Once the results of these tests came back, my oncologist – Dr Susan Lalondrelle, who has been wonderful throughout – confirmed the cancer was Stage 3 as it had spread to the lymph nodes."

"Being told you have cancer absolutely rocks your world. It's a huge shock and your immediate thought is – am I going to die? My main concern was I couldn’t leave my teenage son, husband and family as I didn’t know how they would cope if they lost me. It was devastating but everyone I spoke to said I couldn’t be under the care of a better hospital. I knew I was in the best hands being at The Royal Marsden."

"I started receiving weekly chemotherapy and daily radiotherapy. Then I needed to stay in the hospital in Chelsea for a couple of days and have brachytherapy (a type of internal radiation therapy). When all that was finished, Dr Lalondrelle offered me the chance to go on a clinical trial to receive immunotherapy treatment in an infusion. I was told it would be an intense treatment, however, I was keen to go on the trial as this treatment has been proven in other types of cancer, to help stop the cancer recurring.

I was told there was a 40% chance of my cancer coming back so I wanted to take the opportunity to do whatever I could to stop this from happening."

"After joining the trial in September 2021, I have now finished with my immunotherapy infusions. I received my treatment in the West Wing so have spent a lot of time with all the lovely nurses there. The nurses make your time there the best it can be, they always have a smile on their faces. I couldn’t ask for a better team to be looking after me!"

"I continue to have an MRI and PET-CT scan every three months to monitor how I’m doing. I have regular hospital appointments too, which is really reassuring as I know any concerns I have will be addressed. My most recent scan results were all clear which spurred me on to fundraise for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity!