Strive for Five - Living Life with Stage 4 Cancer

04/02/2026

On I was thinking about a strong message to write, but the biggest news for cancer in the UK landed today - the government's 10-year Cancer Plan.

The cancer community desperately needs the service to improve and I hope that this plan can truly be a turning point for cancer.
Cancer Research UK has done an excellent job of summarising the key points, it's worth a read.

Now we have to hold the government accountable to deliver the plan FOR cancer patients.

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2026/02/04/breaking-down-the-national-cancer-plan-for-england/

Department of Health and Social Care - DHSC

The UK Government has launched a National Cancer Plan for England. Will it be the turning point for cancer that we need?

02/02/2026

Not my usual Monday night!
Watch this space for more information over the coming days!

30/01/2026

Busy week and I forgot to take any photos until I was passing The Tower while heading home today.

I started the week in Manchester as part of the faculty for the Junior Investigator Network Group traing for new researchers.

The middle of the week was all about the “integrating patients in research” publication

Today I was in London for an energetic and far reaching round table on trust in healthcare.

Now I’m cuddling up with my scruffy mutt Tommy!

29/01/2026

I'm so proud to share my first paper as lead author, and that it's on the vital topic of INTEGRATING PATIENTS INTO PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH.

This is an example of how I'm trying to improve cancer care.

The fact that some scientific journals are now receptive to patients as lead authors reflects the growing recognition of the value of people with lived experience of their disease

You can read the full paper here:

Over the past few decades, patient centricity has evolved from an idea to a clearly defined component of cancer care, integrated into clinical practice: patients with cancer are now more involved i...

24/01/2026

Please join me in signing this petition asking the NHS to fund free dental care for people who have head & neck cancer.

Surely this is a no-brainer for the government?

We want the Government to fund free dental care for head and neck cancer patients both during and after treatment to address the significant oral health challenges that survivors may face, and to improve their overall quality of life.

20/01/2026

This is such a good idea. For those cancer patients who don't know Maggie's Centres, you should check them out. They've got centres attached to many of the main cancer hospitals nd have an excellent website offering support too.

Maggie’s describes approach that uses food to help patients with recovery as ‘win-win’ and calls for collaboration in new government strategy

19/01/2026

This really is great news in prostate cancer - another big win for cancer patients!

We’re pleased that abiraterone can now be offered to thousands more men affected by prostate cancer 👏

Our STAMPEDE trial revealed that the treatment can stop certain high-risk prostate cancers – halving the risk of these cancers coming back, and cutting the risk of death for these men by an incredible 40%.

Tap the link in the comments to read more about this decision and what it means 👇

16/01/2026

I was honoured to be invited to write this piece for Cancer Research UK Science and Innovation, sharing how lived experience can positively shape research - a topic I'm passionate about!

Steve Clark tells us why patient involvement is so much more than just a requirement - it can actually bolster your research in surprising ways...

15/01/2026

How long does it take to achieve change - it took 11 years to get Avastin approved for NHS prescription for bowel cancer! We eventually got it over the line just before Christmas.

The key factors are determination, resilience and teamwork

This was my entry to campaigning and was in collaboration with the old charity Beating Bowel Cancer

14/01/2026

I’m excited to be at the 8th Patient Centricity & Collaboration Congress 2026 Europe in London on 25 and 26 February. I’ve been a member of the faculty for this meeting for several years and it’s always a high of my calendar.

My topic is one I’m passionate about: IMPROVING COMMUNICATION IN HEALTHCARE NEEDS A COLLABORATIVE SOLUTION

Thank you to Jocelyn and the team at Facilitate Live for organising such a great meeting.

Who’ll be there?

For more details on the meeting: https://www.patientcentricityworld.com/

11/01/2026

12 years ago I had a fab party go say thank you to all the friends and family who helped me get through my stage 4 diagnosis, surgery and intensive chemo.

I couldn’t have done it without their amazing help and support.

A great time was had by all and it was my first time singing with the band!

06/01/2026

WHY ME?

That’s a question that’s often asked in cancer. However, I never really was bothered by this, I knew I didn’t have any of the classic risk factors and accepted I was one of the many cancer patients without a known cause. My focus was always to accepted the diagnosis and get on with fighting the disease.

I do ask “why me” about survival, why am I still here? I’ve lost so many fab people to cancer yet I’m still here, over 12 years after a stage 4 diagnosis. I often get asked “what’s your secret” or “what did you do” - but I don’t really know.

My theory is that it’s a combination of mindset and medical advances.

I’ve always believed that a positive approach to the diagnosis and, importantly, to my treatment, is absolutely key - being on my front foot as much as possible and welcoming my treatment as my friend.

There have been so many amazing medical and surgical advances since my diagnosis, and I’ve been lucky to have access to one of these, Avastin (bevacizumab) all the way through. This treatment is now -at last - available on the NHS in England.

I’ve actually been labelled an “outlier” and an “anomaly” many times because of my longevity with stage 4. But combining all of us “outliers” gives a trend of increasing survival - there are more and more of us living longer and fuller lives with stage 4 cancer.

I’m trying to make the most of my bonus years - enjoying every day, sharing hope, and campaigning for improved care in cancer.