Bolton-born mum walks 200 miles to fund cancer treatment

A mum living with incurable cancer is preparing to walk hundreds of miles across England to buy herself more time with the daughter she hopes to see graduate.

Nicola Chapman, 45, who grew up in Blackrod, has stage four kidney cancer and is raising £30,000 to access a personalised cancer vaccine treatment developed in Germany.

She now works as a cleaner at the University of Leeds, and will take on the coast-to-coast route in July.

The challenge comes after cancer spread to her lungs despite treatment following her diagnosis in 2022.

Nicola said: “I really want to see her graduate and get to university, so that’s one of the things that’s keeping me going, really.”

Her daughter is currently studying for her A-levels while supporting her mum through treatment.

Doctors discovered a tumour on Nicola’s kidney after she was rushed to hospital with a severe infection in May 2022.

She later underwent surgery to remove the kidney but was told in January 2024 that the cancer had spread to her lungs.

The disease is now considered treatable but incurable.

Nicola said: “It was just unbelievable, really. It’s just a sense of loss is the main thing.

“And then my friends quickly helped me realise that with loss comes an opportunity, and they really helped me think about what it is I want to achieve in this time that I have left.

“Publicising my situation would help other people, but also potentially get me some kind of treatment that’s going to prolong my life longer than the prognosis that I got from the NHS.”

The treatment Nicola hopes to access is a personalised cancer vaccine designed around the genetic makeup of an individual’s tumour.

Similar treatments are being researched in the UK but are not currently available for her cancer type through the NHS.

In July, she plans to walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, crossing the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.

She would do it each weekend in July, from Friday to Monday, and go back to Leeds on the rest of the days.

The route holds special meaning for Nicola, who moved from Bolton to Leeds as a student more than 25 years ago.

Nicola said: “Being out in nature and going for long walks has really helped with my mental health.

“It feels like at the minute my cancer is under control and I don’t have any symptoms.

“I’m able to walk, I’m able to breathe, I’m able to exercise.

“So this is a really good opportunity for me to get the most out of the time that I have whilst I’m still able to be physically active.”

The challenge has already brought support from friends and family in her hometown.

Last year, supporters helped organise fundraising events in Blackrod, including a Phoenix Nights-themed evening.

Nicola said: “I feel like the people of Bolton have really rallied round. Even though I’ve been in Leeds 25 years, I do go back and see everyone.

“So it’s been great to have their support and their ideas for fundraising as well.”

She is asking people to donate if they can, but says sharing her story could be just as valuable.

Nicola said: “Even if people can’t support me financially, they can spread the word and share my story on their socials.

“Anything they can do to show their support would be much appreciated.”