The Teenage Cancer Trust - Having Fun Along The Way

It's that time of year again! The Teenage Cancer Trust is hosting a series of gigs this week at the Royal Albert Hall, to raise awareness of the fabulous work they do all year round. This year is particularly exciting, as, along with the usual faces and supporters such as Roger Daltrey and Ronnie Wood, Sir Paul McCartney will be gracing the stage tonight!

It is always such a successful week for the charity, and with invaluable support from such huge names, which also include Ronnie Wood and Kelly Jones of Stereophonics fame, money and awareness for the charity is guaranteed to come pouring through.

Sky News attended the opening night last night and asked me to write an article for their website about how the Teenage Cancer Trust helped me...

Natasha Vince on Sky News

"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine" Hippocrates

The more I read about the power of food and exercise, the further fascinated I become with the healing qualities of the human body. But this goes hand in hand with a deep frustration that I didn't educate myself about the importance of eating right much earlier in life.

Since my initial diagnosis at 16, I have always wondered, 'why me?', 'why was I diagnosed with cancer', and after so many diagnoses, 'why won't it leave me alone'. But the more I research, the more I seem drawn to the answer... Because I wasn't looking after myself.

When we were growing up, my mum made sure my brother and I exercised lots and ate well. I danced twice a week, swam at least once a week, and went everywhere on my bicycle. We hardly ate food which was fried, and anything from a fast food restaurant was a rare and very special treat. It wasn't until I reached the age of about 14 and my body was changing, that I no longer felt comfortable in my ballet leotard, or swimming costume, and I foolishly stopped all of my exercise classes. Of course it was at this age that I also started going out more with friends, picking up the odd burger and chips while shopping, and just generally not eating properly or looking after my body. It was also a time of deep personal stress.

Not long after this change in life style, I began to suffer tummy aches - the first symptoms of the Ewing's Sarcoma in my intestine.

Although, of course, I tried hard to look after my body following the initial diagnosis, I hadn't educated my self adequately to stop the disease recurring. I exercised more, which probably helped keep the disease away for a few years, until it returned in my right kidney when I was 19, but I still wasn't eating right.

Being told I only had a year to live, really made me take a look at my life, it forced me to explore how I treated my body, it made me question whether there was anything I could do to help it. And once I started researching, the amount of information I found proving that I could help myself was incredible. Why hadn't I looked for this before? So, as you know, I changed my diet according to the advice I found, and signed up for the marathon this year in order to force myself to get up, get out and exercise.

Just a few months later, scans showed that the tumours that once restricted me to a few more months of life were now benign, and I was astounded to hear that I was looking at a long future again. But I was foolish, and in the months afterwards, I allowed myself to slip from my new diet, drink more alcohol and exercise less... the result? Two new tumours in my liver.

So now I need to get back on track. The amazing news is that the diet I adapted to has allowed my liver function to improve to the point that I can now have surgery to remove the damaged parts of the organ, as well as the benign, and new tumours. But I must maintain this healthy diet if I want to keep this disease under control - under my control.

Watching the BBC3 programme 'Make My Body Younger' is a real education. Participants of the show undertake an 'age test' to see how years of heavy drinking, smoking and, in some cases, drug abuse has damaged their individual organs, and subsequently an age is put on different parts of their body. Most are shocked at the results, their heart, brain and lung function often reflect that of someone who is two to three times their actual age, and so they 'suffer' three compulsory weeks of detoxing, healthy eating and exercise. The 'age test' is then carried out again at the end of the detox period, and the results are always absolutely staggering. Just a few weeks of treating their bodies right and they are rewarded by their organ function reflecting a much more true-to-life age.

How incredible is it that the body can reverse many years of damage, and heal itself so quickly, once we know how to look after it?

There is nothing of greater importance than a healthy body and state of mind. No matter how busy you think you are, you in fact always have time to look after your self, you just need to remember to find it...

For a more detailed look at how I adapted my diet, take a look at this page on my website.



Macmillan Cancer Support - "We are all affected by cancer. We can all help. We are Macmillan." - Says It All!

While I wait for news on how my last operation went, and details of when the next surgery to remove most of my liver will be, I have thrown myself into work - mainly to take my mind off what is waiting for me in a few weeks time.

But I have also been spending a lot of time talking to different departments within cancer charity Macmillan, and helping to spread the word about what a fantastic job they do for patients and their families.

If you have read my novel 'Kiss From A Rose', you will know that I have a huge amount of time and respect for the nurses and general staff at Macmillan. They were a life line for us at all times of the day and night, and the support they gave my mum was invaluable. They made her feel she had a friend at the end of the phone offering practical advice and emotional support, no matter what the problem was. I'll never be able to thank them enough for how they helped us, but by sharing my story with their new members of staff, and also their business partners, such as Boots, I hope I am helping in a small way to ensure all cancer patients receive the same amount of care and support that mum and I did.

Every year, Macmillan collaborate with national radio station Smooth FM for an event called 'Starlight Supper'. They ask people to set aside an evening to host a dinner party for family and friends in aid of the charity. Guests to the dinner parties offer a charity donation at the door, and are wined and dined as they listen to music provided by Smooth FM, who offer 'shout outs' to those who call in! But as well as music, the radio station plays accounts from various patients who have had support from Macmillan and who want to share their experiences of cancer. Such a fantastic idea I think, to spend the evening with people you love, enjoying food, drink and company while raising money for such an important charity, with people in the background telling you how your money has directly helped them get through some of the darkest moments of their lives.

I was one of those voices last Saturday when this year's Starlight Supper Event took place. I hope I not only showed people how Macmillan helped me, but encouraged others to get in touch with the Charity if they are struggling with treatment, finance or one of the many other problems cancer unexpectedly presents.

The day before the 'Starlight Supper Event' I visited the Macmillan Offices to speak to representatives from cosmetic giant Boots - with which Macmillan have a partnership with. Boots work hard with the charity to help provide cancer patients with information and advice about health and beauty regimes that can help when your skin has turned 'scaley' from chemo, or has burned from radiotherapy. This is not a unique relationship I was delighted to discover while I was there, as Macmillan also work with hairdressing company Tony&Guy to help patients when their hair grows back after chemo. Often it is very curly and silky, and generally difficult to manage when very short, so Tony&Guy offer expert and specialised advice to patients who are struggling to feel comfortable with their new hair, they help them feel beautiful - no greater gift than that!

So I spoke to representatives from Boots, and 'Health & Beauty' Magazine about how Macmillan have helped me, I wanted to show them that this is a fantastic partnership that they should be enthusiastic about, and proud of. So many people turn to Macmillan for medical and financial advice, and now, with various evolving partnerships offering such vast services, patients will always have someone to turn to, no matter what the issue is. If Macmillan don't have the answer, they'll certainly know someone who does!

If you need help and advice from Macmillan, click here...

A Blessing In Disguise?

So my latest scan results were not as positive as I had hoped. They show that I have two new tumours in my liver. Much to my relief however, the rest of tumours that showed up benign in the last set of images, still appear to be non-cancerous. But this latest development is a little disappointing.

There was some good news however! As my liver function has improved over the last twelve months, since I was told there was nothing more the hospital could do, it means I am eligible for surgery! My liver is stronger now than it was last year, I believe, because of my new diet, my exercise regime, and my reduction in alcohol consumption. How fantastic is it that the body can recover so well when you start to look after it, - something we should bare in mind all the time, not just when the stuff hits the fan!

So the operation will see my doctor cut out most of my liver. He will remove all the tissue that has been damaged from my previous treatments, as well as the benign and more recent malignant tumours. Although the liver regenerates itself and regrows to its normal size within three months, the doctor needs to leave enough of the organ to support my body while the liver is recovering. At the moment, I don't have enough clear liver to leave and re-grow, and therefore if the surgery was conducted now I would go suffer liver failure. So last week, I went in for a smaller operation to increase the size of the tiny clear bit of liver I have!

The concept is incredibly clever, and sometimes I honestly believe I'm lucky that the cancer recurs here and not elsewhere in my body, as I'm not sure I would have so many options when it comes to surgery and treatment if another organ was infected instead.

Here's what they did...  There are two 'tubes' that feed the liver, one on the damaged side of my liver, and one on the side which is clear. During the operation, known as Portal Vein Embolisation (PVE), the surgeons block the 'tube' (or portal venous flow) on the side of the liver which is damaged and diseased and this, in time, will cause that side of the liver to shrink. In turn the other (clear) side is forced to enlarge as it is made to work harder. By the time I have the main operation to remove the damaged part of liver, which will hopefully be in a month's time, the clear part of my liver will be bigger and stronger, and will be able to support my body after the surgery as it grows back to a normal size. The surgery left me sore and bruised for a few days, and uncomfortable for about a week (longer than I anticipated). My throat also hurt from the ventilator that was inserted to help me breathe while I was under the anaesthetic. But after having the operation in the morning, I was able to leave the hospital that evening, which meant I could recover at home where I was far more comfortable - the best place to be I reckon!

I'm very anxious about the next operation. It's a big one, and one I know I will take a while to recover from. But at least I have been given the chance to rid myself of this disease once again - a chance not many others are blessed with.

So, although it was frustrating to hear that the disease had returned, at least now they are able to remove all the damaged tissue, and the tumours. The benign tumours could become cancerous again at any point, and by removing them now that threat will be eradicated completely.

So perhaps these new tumours really are a blessing in disguise?