Our patients

Lesley Jenkins

Lesley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after returning a ‘poo in the post’ test in April 2024. She was quickly admitted for surgery on her cancer, followed by chemotherapy at Velindre. By the beginning of December Lesley was told she didn’t need any more treatment.

Lesley is taking part in a clinical trial of a personalised vaccine for colorectal cancer, aimed at stopping her cancer from coming back.

She feels we owe a lot to the NHS and this was a good way for her to help others.

“It was like paying it back and paying it forward at the same time. Thank you for helping me and my family, I can do this for other people because I must have benefited from people doing trials.”

Lesley talks more about her cancer, treatment and the clinical trial in this short video

 

Bethan Thomas

With Proton Beam Therapy only available in London and Manchester, Bethan Thomas had the challenge of staying in London as she took part in the APPROACH clinical trial for people with a brain tumour called oligodendroglioma.

“From a family perspective I did have concerns about being in London for six weeks……the best thing I did was take part in the trial and go to London to have that treatment.”

Bethan is the first person in Wales to take part in this clinical trial that is looking at whether using this targeted form of radiotherapy reduces the side effects and improves the quality of life for patients with oligodendroglioma.

Bethan tells us more about her experience on the trial so far in this video.

 

Bryan Webber

As a former head and neck cancer patient, Bryan Webber benefitted from a clinical trial, for which he was the first to be recruited into. He said: “It's good to know that you are doing something which makes somebody else in the future have even better treatment.”

“I felt I was having much, much better treatment, over and above the normal. This included having additional scans which would have allowed me to have less radiotherapy.”

Bryan describes his experience from his diagnosis and how he made the decision to take part in the trial, feeling confident it was suitable for him due to the strict eligibility criteria. His treatment was a success and he feels happy to have been part of a trial which has not only benefitted him, but can also help other patients in the future. 

Watch a short video of Brian's experience as a trial patient.

 

Jane Henderson

Jane was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2024 after recovering from breast cancer seven years before. After surgery and chemotherapy, she is taking part in the Cardiff-led BICCC study which is looking to prevent relapse by making her immune system better at detecting and destroying any cancer cells that might remain.

Thinking about why research is important, Jane said:

“My Dad had cancer and leukaemia and at one point he might have been told what his chance of survival was, and I know my numbers are bigger just because of the research”

“It's the thing we've got to do - we've got to keep pushing forward because it's grim isn't it, cancer.” 

Jane shares her experience with cancer and research in this short video.

 

Anthony Lewis

80-year-old Anthony Lewis recalls his cancer journey from his diagnosis in February 2022, following a CT scan for what was thought to be pneumonia. The scan showed a tumour in his right lung and Anthony was diagnosed with stage four cancer.

After undergoing unsuccessful surgery in May 2022 and a 12-week course of chemotherapy, Anthony agreed to participate in a clinical trial. This involved six weeks of daily radiotherapy combined with a drug treatment.

So far, Anthony has had good results on the trial and he talks to us one year on, saying ‘It’s given me a life extension, it’s been like a miracle’.

Find out more about Anthony’s experience by watching this video

 

Agustina Spooner

Agustina was diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2019 and underwent several rounds of treatment before having her last chemotherapy in September 2023.

When offered the opportunity to join a clinical trial she said “with this new trial, I thought somebody has to try…..when I was introduced to it, I thought yes – I am so delighted!”

This is a story of firsts - Agustina is the first Velindre patient to join the trial and this is the first clinical trial offered by the Cardiff Cancer Research Partnership, a partnership between Velindre University NHS Trust, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Cardiff University.

Find out more about Agustina’s experience of starting a new clinical trial with this short video.