Mike's story
Mike's story
I want to share my story of living with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with you. In my experience, the need for psychological support for people living through similar circumstances is enormous but grossly under met where I live.
Hi, my name’s Mike and I live outside of Paris, France. I’m originally from the UK but have lived in and around Paris for the last 25 years. I want to share my story of living with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with you. In my experience, the need for psychological support for people living through similar circumstances is enormous but grossly under met where I live. I hope sharing my story helps others on their mental journey of facing and living with cancer. I also hope that by pointing out the vast need for psychological support during such times, I can give a clear message that this aspect must be improved for patients in France and across Europe.
My diagnostic and treatment journey
I was diagnosed in October 2019. I didn’t have a lot of symptoms. I was fit and was taking part in cycling races. I had some pain and discomfort in my nether regions – my digestive system. I went to my GP, and we tried a few treatments but when these weren’t having any effect, he sent me for a colonoscopy. There they discovered a fairly large growth.
Although the practitioner hadn’t mentioned the ‘C’ word, it was self-evident that it was cancer. Looking back at it now, I am absolutely scandalized that there was no support, no phone numbers to call, absolutely nothing offered at this point, just, ‘we have these results, see that with your GP’ and that was it.
I saw my GP a day or so after and within a week I had an appointment with a surgeon. He confirmed it was cancer and that it was ‘locally well advanced’ and explained that I could expect to have radiotherapy, chemotherapy and probably surgery. Again, it was all very clear on the medical side of things but there was absolutely nothing in terms of psychological support or contact to patient networks or anything like that.
I took a few days to digest it, I asked around amongst friends and also with my work’s doctor and it was clear where I needed to go for the best treatment – one of the main public hospitals in the centre of Paris.
Starting November 2019, I then underwent radio and chemotherapy for about a six-week period. It wasn’t pleasant but in terms of side effects, it wasn’t too bad. I had a month off and then I went in for further scans and it was confirmed that I was going to have a posterior centric exenteration, a surgery that included the removal of the rectum and the anus and the placement of an ostomy. Except a short period of help from an ostomy nurse, again, there was no psychological support. This was in March 2020.
My recovery went reasonably well, and I got back on my feet quite quickly. I then underwent post-operative chemotherapy for six months and continued with three monthly scans.
A recurrence and further surgery
Frighteningly, in November 2020 they found another nodule, the cancer had metastasized to my bladder, and I had to have another major operation to remove my bladder and prostate. This meant the addition of a urostomy, so I now have two bags, but this is not such a big deal, it doesn’t stop me from doing things in life and from living the way I want. There were some complications with this, and it took me a good five months to recover.
In December 2021 I had another recurrence in some fatty tissue and for this I underwent cryotherapy – the use of extreme cold to remove the cancerous tissue.
As I tell this story it’s now May 2022, and my next scan is now scheduled for next month – fingers crossed they don’t find anything new, but if they do, we’ll deal with it!
The greatest challenges
The hardest aspects I’ve had to face are the psychological ones – particularly with the recurrences. When you get the initial diagnosis you think – ‘OK we’ll fight this, it’s going to be OK, we’ll have the treatment and see where we’re going to go from there’.
But then you get the news that it’s not finished, and you’re obliged to take into account the likely outcome.
Also, along with your own psychological strain, there’s also the strain on your relationships. When you’re concentrating on being treated and convalescing from cancer, it’s hard to consider the feelings of others and to see that they also require attention. Particularly in the way of acknowledgment of what your partner and loved ones are doing for you and also going through with you and your predicament.
My advice to others facing cancer
I would like to share the following with people who have to go through a similar scenario:
There is no ‘right way’ of dealing with cancer – it’s an individual journey that each person tackles in their own way.
Seek out reliable information – be careful of Dr. Google – get in contact with your local patient organisation and find out what the best sources of information are on your disease state.
Prepare for your appointments
I keep what I call ‘My little book of arse cancer’. It makes sure I ask all the questions I want to ask at the consultation, and I also get the therapeutic benefits of having to write things down.
Do exercise and get active
It’s not easy to start exercising when you’re feeling miserable but doing it just gives you that little extra bit of energy that you need to make it through. I have really been helped by what is known as ‘clinical pilates’. I found this on ‘The Ostomy Studio’ – a website offering an online course that you can access whenever you want and that I can really recommend.
Ask for help
Cancer touches so many parts of your life – physical, psychological, administrative, relational, the list goes on. You’ll face some very tough challenges, but you have to remember there are people out there that can help you move through them and that you’re not alone. Friends and family, patient organisations, healthcare practitioners, psychologists, they are there to support you and you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out and ask for help.
Thank you for all the support!
To conclude, I want to say thank you to all those who have helped me so far.
Along with my friends, family and precious partner, I also want to say a big thank you to my place of work that has been amazing through this whole experience. They’ve given me the time I have needed to get better and convalesce and have allowed me to go back to work at my own rhythm. I’m now back to work on a full-time basis and this does a lot for my self-esteem and ability to live with this disease. I also want to say a very big thanks to Mon Reseau Cancer Colorectal in France and Bowel Cancer UK, both patient support organisations that have been a great source of trusted information and peer support.
We want to hear your story
We hope that this section of our website will provide the platform and inspiration for patients/survivors to tell their own story. If you would like to contribute to this page please contact us.
Laura
In October 2022, I discovered that I had a cavernous angioma in my liver. I began feeling the first symptoms (nausea and heaviness in the stomach) ...
Emanuela
The diagnosis dates back to May 20, 2021. Leading up to that time, I had experienced some difficulties. In August 2020, I lost my mother, and the...
Claire
Two and a half years ago, I started having trouble swallowing bread and chicken; it felt like the food was getting stuck in my food pipe and wouldn...
Harry
Update 10 March 2024 A lot has changed since my first diagnosis on 27 May 2021. As mentioned in earlier updates, I was first diagnosed with ‘...
Kjell
Pancreatic Cancer Reflections: Between Hope and Despair Kjell Olof was born in 1942 in Sweden. During the summer of 2021, he began experiencing per...
Claudia
My story, like all of ours, is “unique.” I have always been labelled as “health-conscious,” sometimes with gentle irony and...
Teodora
I’m Teodora, and I’m from Romania. My story is born from grief and longing for the life I was just beginning to build with someone when...
Georgiana
To everyone reading this story, my name is Georgiana. A few months into my 34th year, I was diagnosed with mixed gastric adenocarcinoma, or, more s...
Helen
Hello, I am Helen Canning. I live in Suffolk, England, with my husband Vincent and our two daughters, Erika (6) and Marla (4). I used to have a b...
Richard
In the second half of 2016, I started experiencing symptoms such as a feeling of acid reflux and a burning in my oesophagus, some difficulty in swa...
Katell
Katell Maguet is a 43-year-old French woman who lives in The Netherlands. She shared her emotional story with colorectal cancer to give a voice to ...
Isabelle
Isabelle Chabrier is 56 years old, and lives in Paris, France. She shares her successful journey with pancreatic cancer. Cancer is a common ...
Sven
Sven Tägil is a retired professor of history who will turn 93 this autumn, possibly making him Sweden’s longest pancreatic cancer survivor. ...
Ida
My name is Ida Verbunt, and I am Harry Verbunt’s wife and carer. I am 56 years old, and I’ve known Harry since childhood. We grew up in...
Helena
My name is Helena D’Arcy. I live in Sweden and am a full-time working mother of seven who has always been super-healthy and active. Sh...
Ceri
Ceri Steele – diagnosed in October 2019 My name is Ceri Steele, I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer on 17 October 2019, three days before my ...
Mia
Hello, my name is Mia, I am 57 years old and live in Finland. I am a mother to two boys and a girl, and twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with Lync...
Mark
My wife, Barbara, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in November 2006. I became a carer very suddenly! Maybe I shouldn’t have been so...
Anders
My Journey with Pancreatic Cancer, five years later… Hello, my name is Anders Bovin, I am 80 years old, and these days I spend my time between Sw...
George
It is with great sadness that we recognize the passing of George in January 2023. George was a remarkable young man whose strength and kindness rad...
Laure
I am the caregiver of my husband, Guillaume, who was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer in January 2021 at 43. We have two children who are now...
Stephen
I am a colorectal cancer survivor. My local hospital asked me to set up a peer support group. We planned a launch in spring 2020, but so did COVI...
Mike
Hi, my name’s Mike and I live outside of Paris, France. I’m originally from the UK but have lived in and around Paris for the last 25 years. I ...
Andi
My name is Andi and I’m a 39 years old Romanian, husband and father of two wonderful daughters. I’ve been working in the Pensions &...
Angelica
Angelica is a survivor and patient advocate who does not take no for an answer! She lives in Sweden and volunteers closely and personally with canc...
Hilde
I am Hilde, a mother of two, partner, medical doctor, and a Lynch patient. I am the first in my family with this diagnosis. When I was diagnosed wi...
Leon
Hello, my name is Leon. I’m 45 and I live in Tilburg in the Netherlands close to the Belgian border. I work for Stichting Darmkanker (Colon Cance...
Samo
Hello I’m Samo. I’m pleased to be able to share my story with you as I want it to be an inspiration for everybody who turns 50 and consequently...
Radek
Hello, my name is Radek. I would like to share my story with you about living with pancreatic cancer. It began with the onset of jaundice that made...
Eva
Eva shares her experiences with pancreatic cancer and the importance of staying physically fit throughout the process – from diagnosis throug...
Patrycja
Patrysza spoke about her journey with pancreatic cancer at our Masterclass 2021 – she shared the importance of mental health for her life with th...
Vincent
Hi, I’m Vincent, I’m from Gouda in the Netherlands and I was diagnosed in 2015 at 42 years old with stage IV colorectal cancer and a low-grade ...
Anikó
Anikó from Hungary was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 2015. HCC is the most common type of liver cancer accounting for approxima...
Ireneusz
It is with great sadness that we recognize the passing of Ireneusz in December 2021. He leaves behind his wife Beata. Ireneusz was very active and ...
Daksha
Dr Daksha Trivedi is a Senior Researcher in Public Health at the University of Hertfordshire in England. Daksha was diagnosed with oesophageal canc...
Milan
By the end of 2000 I felt very tired. Urges of going to the bathroom were sudden and harder to control. I also often felt very sleepy during the da...
Dave
Dave Chuter, active patient advocate was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2006. Following successful treatment, he returned to work and alongsi...
Stefan
I’m Stefan. I’m a co-founder of Digestive Cancers Europe and was the organisation’s CEO from 2019 to the beginning of 2021. I would like ...
Robyn
I first realised something was wrong when – at 28 years old – I collapsed. It was 2005, and I was taken to hospital for several tests after it ...
Celeste
“When I was first diagnosed with colon cancer it was quite complicated because I did not know what I had…” Listen to Celeste̵...
Marta
“Have you had a colonoscopy?” I was asked this question by my new doctor the first time that I saw him after I retired. I had been a he...
Barbara
No-one expects to get cancer. No matter what the statistics show, very few people relate the figures to themselves and, I must admit, it was the sa...
Heidi
Until April 29th, 1999, when I was 45, I was absolutely convinced I had the lease of eternal life. I had a sweet daughter , a careful husband and a...