A CANCER survivor is to be the VIP guest starter for an annual running event which raises funds for life-saving treatment.
Donna Crous will launch the “Race for Life”, organised by the Jersey branch of Cancer Research UK, which takes place in St Helier on Sunday 25 May.
Ms Crous (52) moved to Jersey soon after being diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and has benefitted from Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy, a type of precision radiotherapy. She said her experience had been more positive than when her mother had her own cancer diagnosis around a decade previously.
“After my mum, Carol, died, I was very angry with cancer and I said I’d never have treatment because I struggled watching her cope with the harsh side effects from her many treatments,” she said.
“But when you are diagnosed with cancer yourself, it’s a very different experience and the treatment I’ve had, while there are still side-effects, has been much less debilitating.
“Mum’s cancer, and her treatment, was so different to mine and I’ve learned since that all cancers are different, so treatments are very individual and unique to each patient. And treatments have improved.”
While she receives much of her treatment in Jersey, Ms Crous goes to England for radiotherapy and six-monthly scans, and has now had almost four years’ treatment with SABR.
“SABR is very precise and reduces the number of healthy cells that are hit,” she said.
“I’ve learnt that although the side effects can be hard – and every patient experiences these differently – it’s only for a period of time, and then you find a new normal.
“It’s also taught me that taking time to rest and self-care on the hard days is incredibly important because this treatment is crucial in helping me survive – and thrive – whilst living with cancer.”
Paying tribute to the decades of testing and trialling that precede the launch of any new treatment, Ms Crous added: “I simply wouldn’t be here without the energy and commitment of Cancer Research UK scientists – step by step they’re beating this devastating disease.
“It’s thanks to advances in radiotherapy that I’ve been given the greatest gift, doing things that were impossible to imagine when I heard those terrifying words ‘it’s cancer’.”
The Race for Life event on 25 May includes three different distances: 3km, 5km and 10km. For more details, and to sign up online at the reduced “early bird” entry fee (available until 6 April), see raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/find-an-event.
SABR
Targeted treatment yields positive results
- SABR (Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy) transmits intense, focused beams of radiation providing a very large “hit” to the affected area in fewer visits, while sparing healthy tissue.
- Targeted directly to the tumour, this large dose increases the chances of the tumour cells dying.
- Patients can finish treatment quicker than conventional radiotherapy – usually within two weeks.
