My name is Sue, 

In June 2018 I felt a lump in the left of my neck, which was repeatedly misdiagnosed as an infection. Eventually a GP referred me to get a biopsy which turned out to be cancerous. It was curable but would be a long journey. I was put on the Pathos research trial at Guys Hospital, London. Late March 2019 I had a neck dissection with 43 lymph nodes removed (thankfully only one was cancerous). A week later, early April, I had robotic surgery Da vinci robot, I had a big patch of my tongue removed, as well as my tonsils and part of my pharynx. I then had radiotherapy to make sure they got everything.

The treatments are utterly brutal. I had to relearn how to swallow, have lots of different types of therapy (physio, OT, speech and language etc), and at one point needed a feeding tube (I went through 4 tubes!). I was hospitalised for most of the last two weeks of my radiotherapy, as I did not tolerate the feeding tubes very well.

Guys Hospital, London do ground-breaking Cancer research and work with so many Cancer patients. All money raised will go to Guys Hospital Cancer departments. The medical team are second to none and have looked after me through my journey and will continue to look after me through my treatments. Money raised will go towards helping me and other who face the scary Cancer journey from diagnosis to surgeries, treatments and the holistic treatments that appear to be missing!

As grateful as I am for the care I received, I still need help. Two years on, I am still on the 5 year watch, but will no longer receive further support, despite the ongoing need for therapy (for life). I have no saliva glands due to radiotherapy destroying them, need to take water with each bite of food (as otherwise it would be too dry to swallow due to no saliva). My muscles have atrophied, resulting in mobility issues with my neck. I need physio and massage to help with the lymphedema, keep some kind of mobility and neck spasms, which are excruciating.

This will be our second fundraiser. My aim is to bring about change to fellow cancer survivors and to raise awareness plus create funding in order to start some services for patients that continue to need life long care, as GSTT have realised (see details here on what the plans are to transform care for cancer patients).

Stand up to cancer and kick it away! Love you all. X