Strive for Five - Living Life with Stage 4 Cancer

14/10/2026

A question for all patients and caregivers - DO YOU TRUST PHARMA?

Tomorrow in London I'm presenting at a conference in London on this topic and I'd love to know your thoughts. I'll be as always.

So what is your opinion of the pharmaceutical companies?

Is there anything you feel they should be doing?

Do you think trust between patients and pharma is important or even relevant?

Big hugs

10/10/2026

NEW PODCAST

I really enjoyed talking with Alex on the Health Pulse Podcast in the US.

It was a great conversation about my life since the stage 4 cancer diagnosis. We covered a lot of ground, the 5 big areas are:

- The challenge of transitioning from healthcare professional to cancer patient.

- How communication style impacts the patient during cancer diagnosis.

- What role AI can play in improving patient communication.

- Patients becoming partners in clinical research rather than just participants.

- What "living beyond five years" means for cancer patients.

Please let me know your thoughts and feedback.

It’s available on all podcast platforms search “The Health Pulse Podcast” (season 7, episode 7)

Via the SAS website:
https://www.sas.com/en_us/explore/health-pulse-podcast-series.html

View on YouTube https://youtu.be/7gfjx6bCOgI

What changes when patients become true partners in cancer research?...

07/10/2026

Landmark day for me today - part of the faculty delivering the DELIVERING PATIENT CENTRED RESEARCH SOLUTIONS FOR AND WITH PATIENTS course at King's College London

This was my first outing as Visiting Lecturer and I was very much

The students were great and so receptive to the importance of working WITH patients.

Back home with Tommy now and looking forward to a very quiet evening!

01/10/2026

I’m looking forward to at the Patient Engagement Congress in London, I just can’t believe it’s here already! If it’s anything like last year’s inaugural event it’ll be a great gathering.

I’ll be there on day 2 (15 October) to present and be part of a panel discussion - double duty.

My presentation is titled “Building Trust Between Pharma and Patients” and will address a topic I feel is so important. I’ll be drawing on my combined experience working in pharma as well as my lived experience as a cancer patient and my role as a patient advocate.

They are offering complimentary passes for patient advocates and representatives of patient organisations, if you're interesting in attending please contact the organisers:
https://patient-empowerment.com/

18/09/2026

This wasn’t the photo I’d intended to post, it wasn’t how this was supposed to happen!

Last week my carefully laid plans came crashing down thanks to the air traffic control chaos in the UK. I started the week in Munich presenting at a great cancer patient focus event.

I then hot-footed it to the airport to head back to the UK to present for the first time at the pharmacovigilance (medicine safety) association, but all the UK flights were grounded.

Thankfully I was able to arrange Zoom link so I could join remotely.

Showtime - instead of opening the conference with a cosy “fireside chat” about the importance of the patient voice in pharmacovigilance, my partner in crime, Naomi, really stepped up and guided me through a discussion with a packed crowd who I couldn’t see! Thankfully feedback was positive and the attendees got the message about the value of working with people with lived experience

I learned an important lesson about rolling with the punches. A phrase about lemons and lemonade comes to mind!

21/07/2026

It’s that time again - bowel cancer screening test received and completed. Popping it in the post this evening.

In most of the UK anyone over the age of 50 should receive a free bowel cancer screening test through the post. PLEASE DO THE TEST, it could save your life!

10/07/2026

This week in Westminster I was inspired by meeting up with 100 of my fellow Campaigns Ambassadors, and the CRUK policy team to launch the new Cancer Research UK campaign to UNLOCK CANCER BREAKTHROUGHS.

I’ve been so lucky to benefit from the advances in cancer care that research has delivered, we have to keep these improvements coming.

The campaign asks the government to support cancer research in THREE important ways:

1. UNLOCK FASTER CLINICAL TRIALS
Clinical trial set‑up times in the UK are too slow, held back by complex processes and a lack of staff and resources.
The UK Government must remove the barriers slowing down commercial and non‑commercial trial set‑up by streamlining processes and increasing workforce capacity, so life‑saving tests and treatments reach patients faster.

2. UNLOCK GLOBAL TALENT
We need the great researchers to come together with the best in the world.
The Home Office must reduce immigration costs for researchers and work with other government departments to deliver clear messaging around attracting the best researchers, so the UK is in the best position to power the next big discoveries.

3. UNLOCK INVESTMENT
Breakthroughs in cancer research rely on decades of sustained effort and investment - when investment into research slows, so does the progress we are making.
Governments across the UK must commit to long-term, protected increases in research funding in all four nations, to ensure people affected by cancer, today and in the future, can benefit from cancer breakthroughs.

More information in the link:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/campaign-with-us/all-our-campaigns/unlock-cancer-breakthroughs

As always it was great to be with my friends and fellow campaigns ambassadors Sue, Patrick and Julie.

08/07/2026

Today I had the pleasure of joining loads of my fellow Cancer Research UK Campaigns Ambassadors at Westminster

I had an excellent and insightful meeting with a representative of the Minister of Health and Social Care Karin Smyth MP. I was able to share the concerns of the cancer community that the cancer plan that was launched a couple of months ago seems to have stalled. What looked like a major breakthrough from the government has gone worryingly quiet.

From this discussion, together with CRUK I’m hoping to be able to make sure the NHS Modernisation Bill supports the delivery of the cancer plan.

I’m feeling optimistic now and hope we’ll see a great example of democracy in action in the coming weeks for the benefit of all cancer patients.

06/07/2026

I'm excited to head up to Glasgow next month to speak about being involved in research. It's so important that we can encourage voices and opinions from varied backgrounds, and that's what this meeting is all about.

Can you join us?

Please forward this if you know anyone in the Glasgow area who might be interested.

27/06/2026

The big C’s in cancer are now COLLABORATION and CO-CREATION!

Last week Cancer Research UK launched its new involvement strategy, all about how it should work with people affected by cancer - patients, caregivers and the public. What makes this strategy so important is that it was written in true collaboration with people affected by cancer, and it’s so much more powerful because of it.

I was lucky enough to be the host of the launch event, and also to be part of the team who wrote the strategy. The project itself was a great case study in co-creation.

Michelle Mitchell, CEO of CRUK said “Over the next five years, this strategy will help ensure that people affected by cancer are not just heard but have a genuine influence on the decisions that shape research, innovation and cancer outcomes.”

You can read the involvement strategy here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/patient-involvement/involvement-strategy