A lecturer from Salford University, who has beat cancer five times, is celebrating with a series of tough exercise challenges after being told she is once again, cancer-free.
Natalie Yates-Bolton, a grandmother of two has suffered two bouts of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has also had breast cancer on three occasions.
In total, the 57-year-old has under gone a staggering 11 operations, 30 sessions of chemotherapy and 55 rounds of radiotherapy.
Now the senior lecture in nursing at the University of Salford has been told she is cancer free after six years on a targeted cancer drug called Palbociclib (lbrance).
Doctors at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester are thrilled with her progress on the drug after all scans are showing the cancer has gone.
Mrs Yates, who has always been determined to live life to the full , is now setting herself new exercise challenges. To date, she has completed six marathons , three ultra marathons and three triathlons.
Last year, she completed the Isle of Wight ultra-marathon and ran around half the island. She also walked the third leg of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail through France with her mother, Myra, 80.
Over time Mrs Yates, who lives in Chadderton, has gained a PhD, trained as an executive coach, and learned to become a milliner.
She said: “If somebody who didn’t know my story heard I’d had cancer five times, they might think I’d been unfortunate.
“But I see it the other way – I’ve been really fortunate because I’ve got family members and friends who hadn’t been as lucky as me and didn’t get the five chances that I’ve had to get the successful outcomes from treatment.”
She added: “That’s definitely my feeling about the whole journey.”
She said her successful treatment was because “we have an NHS that, although it has its challenges, is better funded than in some of the countries I work with.”
“Six years ago, I was kind of running out of options of treatments, and then this new drug became available.
“So I feel very fortunate and I think it has really focused the way I live.”
Photography – Nick Harrison
Mrs Yates-Bolton was a 22-year-old third year student at the University of Surrey when she was first diagnosed with lymphoma, where white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control.
Refusing to take a break from her degree in nursing, she worked on a demanding neurological ward while having radiotherapy treatment.
Then 20 years ago, when she was 37 and married with two young daughters, she started to suffer back pain and itchy skin. The lymphoma had returned.
By 2017, the cancer had returned for a fifth time, after also having a cancerous lump removed with surgery earlier on, and needed treatment.
Now, Mrs Yates, is determined to enjoy spending time with husband, Gary, 66, and daughters Lucy, 33, and India, 29. She also has two young grandchildren – Finley and Olympia.
She said: ” The Christie has cared for me for the last 21 years and, thanks to the wonderful medical team who have treated me, I feel enabled and empowered to live an amazing life and not be a victim of cancer.
“I am living proof you can rebuild your life after treatment and come through it stronger, and more appreciative of life.”
“I have an amazing time in all aspects of my life, and I now want to make a difference to the lives of others.
“Through the university I’ve had the incredible opportunity to work on World Health Organisation projects in Eswatini in Africa and Moldova.
“The amount I now do even takes me by surprise and I really don’t think I would have done half as much if it wasn’t for the cancer.”
Dr Sacha Howell, a consultant oncologist at The Christie, who has been Mrs Yates-Bolton’s doctor since 2009, said: “Natalie has now had 75 cycles of palbociclib.
“It was a relatively new therapy when she started on it six years ago, but now it’s become a commonly used treatment for some patients with metastatic breast cancer.
“The success of treatments like this, that control the cancer and thus maintain the quality of life, make a real difference to patients like Natalie.
“She is an exceptional and inspirational lady who is leading a full and active life despite the cancer.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said the “relatively new treatment is now being given to patients with secondary breast cancer, and has helped hundreds of other people like Natalie.”
He added: “It is genuinely inspiring to hear about Natalie’s personal journey with cancer, which can be a source of hope for others whose lives are affected by the disease.”
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