Mother of two Natalie was just 42 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2019. She has had various treatments at The Royal Marsden, including a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, as well as taking part in two clinical trials, both supported by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Here, she shares her experience – from diagnosis to raising over £4,000.
My diagnosis and treatment
“I found a lump in my breast which I presumed was hormonal. I went to the GP who sent me to the Breast Unit at my local hospital. They told me on the same day that they were 99 per cent sure that it was breast cancer. A week later, they confirmed it was. I was super healthy and fit. I’m a dance teacher and was running marathons and really looking after myself, so my diagnosis came as a huge shock.”
"I came to The Royal Marsden and we decided on a lumpectomy. The tumour was just under 2cm and they removed it all but after my surgery, the results showed that the cancer had also spread to my lymph nodes. I had something called LVI, or lymphovascular invasion, which means the cancer had gone into the blood vessels. They decided the next step was chemotherapy.
“The team also found I had the BRCA2 genetic mutation, which put me at higher risk of developing some cancers. Learning I had the BRCA2 mutation was difficult, but having that knowledge is empowering and gives my children options too.”
“As the mutation could affect how well chemotherapy worked, my treatment was adapted to give me the best chance of success. After completing chemotherapy, I began preventative treatment to lower the risk of the cancer returning. The next step was surgery to remove my lymph nodes and a double mastectomy, which I had about six weeks later.”
Life-saving research
Thankfully, following this treatment, Natalie went into remission. She continued to be monitored by her team.
In 2023, she joined the TRAK-ER trial, which is supported by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity thanks to generous support from Le Cure. It uses personalised blood tests to monitor levels of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), which is DNA from cancer cells that is released into the bloodstream. This is to try and determine which breast cancer patients will relapse, before it’s shown on a scan.
As a result of this trial, Natalie’s cancer relapse was detected in 2024. She went on to receive further treatment as part of the FAIM trial, led by Alicia Okines, Consultant Medical Oncologist. This trial, which also involves ctDNA testing, is studying the addition of a drug called ipatasertib in patients who show signs that they may not be responding well to standard treatments for advanced breast cancer.
This was followed by a few months of Olaparib, a type of targeted therapy, and she is currently on active chemotherapy treatment.
Psychological support and help with ‘chemo brain’
“Since being a patient at The Royal Marsden, I’ve had so much more than the standard of care. When I was an inpatient, I was visited regularly by a wonderful psychologist, the hospital chaplain and complimentary therapists, who would appear at all the right times like angels when I was struggling.”
“I’ve had two lots of therapy, the first time was over the phone because of COVID. I also had family therapy with a therapist called Danielle who did sessions with me and my two daughters. Danielle would help me understand what my children were going through. Even though I was very mindful of it, it was still really helpful to talk it all through with someone else.”
“The tools and techniques I’ve learned are brilliant – they’ll stay with me forever. The course really helped with being able to use my brain more efficiently."
“She made us feel important and gave us such personalised sessions. We spoke about how I could help my daughters further and support them myself. We then had other sessions where my daughters would also join in.”
“My short-term memory also felt severely affected by treatment. My brain felt so muddled and I found it difficult to concentrate. I would regularly find myself in rooms not knowing why I was there. Once, I went to pick my daughters up from school and left the bath running at home, flooding my entire living room.”
Natalie was able to join the ‘Emerging from the Haze’ project, which provides support for patients at The Royal Marsden who are experiencing cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), sometimes referred to as ‘chemo brain’. It can be caused by both the cancer itself, as well as cancer treatments and related factors. The Charity supported the development of the The ‘Emerging from the Haze’ project, and The Royal Marsden was the first hospital in the UK to provide this service.
“The tools and techniques I’ve learned are brilliant – they’ll stay with me forever. The course covered exercise, nutrition, meditation and learning other techniques to help manage cancer-related cognitive impairment. It’s really helped with being able to use my brain more efficiently."
Living with cancer
Since her diagnosis, Natalie has gone on to train as a Cancer Exercise Specialist and has run the London Marathon to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, as her way of saying thank you for the support she received.
“As part of my training to become a Cancer Exercise Specialist, I also set my business, Fireflies Fitness. The fireflies are representative of us patients going from the darkness into light and continuing to shine. Keeping active helps me so much, I wanted to use my own experiences to help others going through the same thing.
“When I first came to The Royal Marsden, I said to my surgeon that I wanted to run the London Marathon for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity once they’d made me better. It was the least I could do after what the hospital did for me. I achieved this in April 2021 and I felt very proud when I got to the finish line. I raised over £4,000."
“Since April 2024, I’ve been living with metastatic breast cancer, which has spread to my bones and my liver. I’m on a daily chemotherapy tablet called Capecitabine which is keeping my cancer stable and enabling me to live a fairly normal life, looking after my two daughters, running my businesses, dancing and generally still being a valuable and happy member of society. I’m doing the New York Marathon in November 2025 to fundraise for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which I know will be an incredible experience.”
“I absolutely love everyone at The Royal Marsden. They make you feel so well looked after. I owe them my life."
