When Julie, 53, was diagnosed with stage 4 medullary thyroid cancer in 2020, she felt as though her world had ended. Then she came to The Royal Marsden, where she was given the opportunity to join a clinical trial. Within six months of starting the trial, her tumours had shrunk by 60%. This summer, she cycled from her home in Somerset to the hospital in Sutton to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Receiving the diagnosis
"My symptoms first presented while I was training for a half marathon in March 2020, although I was not aware at the time. I started to get backache when I was running, but I’d had a hip replacement a few years previously and thought the pain was just ‘wear and tear’.
"A few months later, I found a lump in my neck. That October, when I was told I had a rare type of thyroid cancer, my world just stopped. I have three children and there were lots of tears – it was all very traumatic.
"The next call came while I was on holiday in Cyprus with my family just after my diagnosis. The results had come back from my CT scan and unfortunately the cancer had spread to my bones and my lungs, hence the symptoms I'd been having while running."
Joining a trial at The Royal Marsden
"I thought I only had a year left. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t breathe very well. Through my friend’s husband, I found a UK support group for medullary thyroid cancers, which is where I first heard about Professor Kate Newbold at The Royal Marsden and the clinical trial I’m now part of. After being referred to The Royal Marsden and meeting Prof Newbold, I felt reassured for the first time. I joined the LIBRETTO-531 clinical trial and started on selpercatinib treatment, which shrunk my tumours by over 60% in just six months.
"After almost five years of good news at every scan, in September last year they unfortunately found some lesions on my brain and spine. These are being monitored closely and treated with radiotherapy, and I am still living a full and normal life. I also remain on the trial medication, which is working well in the rest of my body."
"I am forever grateful for the trial that I am here still."
Raising funds for The Royal Marsden
"The trial has given me my life back. In 2021 I completed 'Walk 60 miles in November' and in 2022 I took part in the London to Paris cycle to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
"The final leg was cycling two miles from park Monceaux to the Eiffel Tower. We were escorted through red lights, while the traffic of Paris was stopped for us. People stopped all the way along to cheer, clap and wave at us, and as I cycled up the Champs Elysées, tears rolled down my face. All I was thinking was, 'I shouldn't be here, but I am!'
“After completing the London to Paris cycle again in 2023, I decided this year to take on a more personal challenge. After driving from my home in Somerset to the hospital in London so many times, I thought ‘let’s do it on a bike'.
“My doctor and my clinical trial nurse, Natasha, were both part of the crew, along with some close friends, so it was a very special experience. We cycled around 65 miles a day and when we arrived at the hospital there were a team of supporters from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity there to greet us with our friends and family.
“Seeing Professor Newbold and Natasha standing with everyone filled me with warmth, emotion and gratitude. I felt so incredibly lucky to have been given this chance to still be here.”
Why I support The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity
"I decided to raise funds for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity because the research that is carried out at The Royal Marsden is going to benefit all of us – and not just patients now, but patients in the future too. By fundraising for The Royal Marsden, you are giving a future without cancer the very best chance of success.
"I would advise anyone interested in doing a similar fundraising challenge to quite simply do it! Choose a challenge that you know you will enjoy and train properly for it, so you are in the best condition you can be.
"Research is our future – it’s so important for us to support it."
Help us fund innovative research
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity is the largest charitable funder of research at The Royal Marsden.
The pace of cancer research moves quickly, so it’s vital that The Royal Marsden’s clinicians and researchers are able to stay at the forefront of the latest advances. Thanks to our supporters we are able to fund pioneering clinical trials, state of the art equipment, purpose-built facilities and world-leading leading cancer experts.
Learn more about ways you can support us