Patient stories

Mark was diagnosed with kidney cancer in April 2021. After surgery to remove the tumour and affected kidney, he was initially told there was no evidence that the disease had spread. However, a biopsy of the tumour showed it was an aggressive type of cancer, prone to returning.

Andrew Wicks, a PhD student at The Institute of Cancer Research, knows firsthand what it’s like to face cancer. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) at the age of 12, he went through years of treatment before getting the all-clear. Now, wanting to help others with cancer, he is carrying out research in our Breast Cancer Research Division. Here, he shares his story.

Tommy Edwards was just four years old when his parents noticed symptoms suggesting something wasn’t right. Tests revealed he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Following nearly three years of treatment, Tommy is now looking towards the future. His parents, Chris and Jo Edwards, have set up a charity to fund research into ALL. In this blog, Chris explains how groundbreaking work by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research is giving them hope for the future.

Erin Kennedy MBE is a British Paralympic coxswain. In 2022, at the age of 29, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and was successfully treated. She later found she has a mutation in her BRCA1 gene which means she has a higher risk of her cancer returning. In the summer of 2023, she supported our Finish Cancer campaign. Here she tells her story.

Hannah Tarplee was four years old when her parents noticed a lump in her tummy which turned out to be a cancerous tumour. Despite intensive treatment, it became untreatable, and Hannah died just seven months after the lump was discovered. The Little Princess Trust, which was set up in her memory, funds our research, as one of our valued family charity partners. Her mum, Wendy Tarplee-Morris, explains how Hannah’s legacy is now giving hair and hope to thousands of children and young people.

Siobhan Mather was two years old when she became lethargic and didn’t want to eat. Tests revealed she had a tumour above her adrenal gland - it was neuroblastoma. With treatment, Siobhan went into remission and her family and friends raised money to fund a trial abroad. Sadly, the cancer returned, and Siobhan was unable to travel. She passed away in June 2019 when she was four years old. Her parents, Sarah and Antony Mather, explain how they’re using the funds raised to support our research as one of our valued family charity partners.

Glenys Gregory recently became a grandmother, but at one point, she’d wondered if she would live to see him born. In January 2020, Glenys was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after nursing her mother through the same disease. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, she went straight onto immunotherapy and a scan in summer 2023 revealed that she had no evidence of disease. Here she tells her story.

Camilla Keeling was a month away from celebrating her 61st birthday when she was diagnosed with skin cancer. After having it removed, she thought she was in the clear but not long after, she found out it had spread to her lungs, and later, her brain and bowel. She is now receiving immunotherapy which has seen her tumours shrink and given her renewed hope. Here is her story.