Welcome to Nic Kicks Out Cancer
Help me to raise funds for life saving cancer treatment!!
About me
My name is Nicola, a mother to an amazing teenager and former mental health support worker. I have worked my whole career in the public and third sectors helping vulnerable people and now I need to ask for help.
I am currently living with a rare form of cancer – diagnosed in 2022, the tumour spread to my lungs in 2024 and treatment options within the NHS are limited.
Can you help me raise £30k to access a personalised cancer vaccine available overseas? Carry on reading to hear my story and find out how you can help.
My story so far
In May 2022 I was rushed to A&E with a severe kidney infection and after an ultrasound scan was found to have a 9cm tumour growing on my left kidney. Up until this point I had no signs or symptoms of cancer. I was quickly scheduled for an operation and the doctors removed the mass along with my entire kidney via keyhole surgery.
After 6 weeks of waiting, the diagnosis given was stage 3 papillary renal cell carcinoma – a rare subtype of kidney cancer. I was enrolled onto a clinical trial to see whether a combination of two immunotherapy drugs would prevent the cancer returning. The trial was a success for the majority of people, though not for me sadly and I was diagnosed as being stage 4 in January 2024. In NHS terms this means treatable but not curable.
Since then I have been doing my own research into finding a potential solution, however there is a lack of clinical research and treatment options for my cancer type in the UK. I am currently planning on going to a German clinic to access a personalised cancer vaccine. What this means is that the team can develop a treatment specific to the mutations in the tumour to teach my immune system to respond accordingly. As you can imagine, this advanced technology is not cheap!
The NHS are currently launching clinical trials of similar vaccines in the UK but these are not specific to my rarer tumour type. I have been fundraising both online and in person for the past year in order to secure the money as I am currently in a financially insecure position with no savings to speak of.
If you are able to help in anyway then please check out my Gofundme page – links are at the top and bottom of this page. I am also currently planning a fundraiser in the form of a 200 mile walk in July so if you are unable to help financially, please get in touch to see how else you can offer assistance. Thank you in advance.
Support me in my Coast to Coast challenge
This summer I am attempting to walk across the North of England, place of my birth and site of many an adventure in my youth. I was born in Lancashire and left to study in Yorkshire where I have been for most of my adult life. I may never be considered ‘local’ but the people of Leeds have made me feel very welcome over the past 25 years and I have been well supported during my cancer treatment.
I feel very fortunate to have access to the most magnificent scenery in the North of England and consider the landscapes of the Lakes and Dales to have some of the best walks imaginable. I am no Alfred Wainwright – I have come very late to physical activity and outdoor pursuits – but I am very much looking forward to challenging myself on the C2C route. It is fitting that I will be walking home from West to East (Lancs to Yorks) and will be joined by some of my closest friends from both sides of the Pennines.
Here’s how you can help:
- Buy / lend me some kit from my list – https://www.thingstogetme.com/2263756a0b8ac
- Join me on the walk – contact me using the links below!
- Offer of bed and / or breakfast along the route – click on ‘How to Help’.
- Share my story on your socials.
Read the full plan and itinerary here
