A READING bowel cancer survivor who was told she had just 18 months to live has been given her chance to shine at a night-time walking event for Cancer Research UK.
Natasha Wakefield, 26, from Tilehurst who says she was given a lifeline thanks to a clinical trial, will mark the milestone by firing the klaxon to start the charity’s 10k Shine Night Walk, which is returning to Southampton on Friday October 13.
Entries are open and Natasha hopes people of all abilities will step up and raise money for life-saving research.
She said: “I’m proof that research into new treatments works but there’s still a way to go.
“If I had been diagnosed ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t be around anymore but thanks to people taking part in fundraising events like Shine, progress is happening and treatments are improving to help people like me.”
Natasha, who was just 21 when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November 2018 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and took part in a clinical trial, knows first-hand just how important new breakthroughs and discoveries are to help more people like her survive.
She said: “I was so healthy growing up, I had barely ever needed to see the doctor. I’d just graduated from university with my boyfriend, Harry, when I began to experience stomach and leg pains and my appetite disappeared.
“I started rapidly losing weight and so I visited my GP where a blood test was ordered which showed nothing abnormal. My symptoms persisted and my dad continued to push for more investigations to be carried out.
“By November 2018, I was getting worse and finally underwent a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy which showed a large tumour in my bowel.
“When I was told that I had cancer, my mum was with me and she burst into tears. But I just never expected it to be cancer and was numb because I just couldn’t take the news in. It just doesn’t fully register and you don’t know what to say or do.
“The tumour had started to grow through my bowel and was affecting my lymph nodes but with chemotherapy and surgery, we were hopeful it could be cured. Before I began chemo, I retrieved and froze some of my eggs as it was likely they would be destroyed during the treatment.
“I had my first chemotherapy session the day after my 22nd birthday and it was simply awful. I experienced many side effects during my five sessions including cold, numb fingers and after a number of infections, doctors decided not to give me my sixth and final round.
“A scan showed that the tumour had continued to grow throughout the treatment anyway and it was larger than when it was first discovered, so I went to University Hospital Southampton in May for a 14-hour operation to remove it.
“During the surgery I was fitted with a stoma as well as having my entire reproductive system removed as the cancer had begun to invade my uterus but felt grateful I had managed to have 10 eggs harvested and frozen.
“I thought everything would be ok after that but towards the end of my month-long stay in hospital, a legion appeared around my stoma. A scan revealed the cancer was growing back aggressively and had spread to several areas around my abdomen.
“I was told there was nothing left that the doctors could do and was told I had 18-months at best to live.
“My only hope was a clinical trial and it felt like a miracle when I was offered the chance to take part in a trial of Replimune with Nivolumab in October 2019. I was willing to try anything and I felt so lucky to have qualified for it.
“By Christmas my cancer had begun to melt away and by spring 2020, the cancer had shrunk by 90%. By the end of the trial in October 2021 I was in remission and since then I have had no treatment and continue to be cancer-free. The trial was more successful than I could have ever hoped.
“Now I live in the moment and am always saying yes to things. I have done lots of travelling, have passed my driving test and next month I’m heading to Disneyland with my best friend.
Natasha added: “My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly.
“I’m so grateful to have more precious time with my loved ones. I owe everything to research into better treatments, so I hope that sharing my story will help inspire people to sign up for the Shine Night Walk.
“It’s not about being first across the finish line. Everyone can take part at their own pace, whether that’s a leisurely stroll, a lively stride or a full-on power walk.
“There really is no better motivation than knowing you’re helping to save lives. One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime, but all of us can support the research that will beat it.”**
Last year, Cancer Research UK was able to spend over £27 million in the South East. Research is happening right now in Southampton where Cancer Research UK recently invested £5.5m at the city’s Clinical Trials Unit where we’re testing new treatment options for people with bladder cancer.
Shine Night Walk participants can choose to raise money for the area of research closest to their hearts – including prostate cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, brain tumours, children’s cancers and leukaemia. Or they can simply give their backing to Cancer Research UK’s overall work.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South, Elisa Mitchell, said: “We want to thank Natasha and people across the South for making our life-saving advances possible. It’s thanks to the generosity of our supporters that we’ve helped double cancer survival in the UK in the last 50 years.
“But with around 53,500 people diagnosed with cancer each year in the South East, we’re not stopping now. That’s why we hope as many people as possible will pull on their trainers and experience this special opportunity to shine a light for loved ones lost to cancer or to celebrate the lives of those who have survived.“
To enter or volunteer visit www.shinewalk.org
