"I would like to start by giving you some background about myself and my journey with my father and kidney cancer.

I live in London and work in a hospital as a respiratory physiotherapist. I work mainly with patients with cystic fibrosis and within this role have seen first-hand the benefit of a strong charity network to raise money and awareness of a disease.

My father at age 46, was diagnosed with a grapefruit sized tumour on his kidney after passing a clot of blood in his urine. He had his kidney removed but no follow-up treatment was required. Exactly a year later, during a routine scan, four metastases were identified in his lung showing the cancer had spread. Dad was referred to a local oncologist who informed us that he could have a drug called interferon but that success rates were poor in relation to other cancer treatments.

Not content with our options, I contacted a renal oncologist and cardiothoracic surgeon in the London area for advice about removing the metastases. However, after a three-month period, they concluded that the tumours were already appearing in other parts of the lung and that surgery would therefore be futile.

Our next challenge was to find a treatment approach with the chance of a better outcome than interferon could offer. We researched high and low until we found a professor in Boston, USA who was using a treatment called IL2 therapy, aimed at stimulating the immune system to fight the disease. We realized this would be a very difficult and taxing regime for my Dad to endure but the small chance of complete remission was worth striving for.

Eventually a professor in the UK agreed to try this new treatment on my Dad. He completed two cycles of the drug, given by a drip over the course of two weeks. It was hard as a family to see him become so poorly from the medication when he had previously looked so well.

Unfortunately, despite Dad’s determination, the IL2 failed to halt the progression of the tumours so he joined a clinical trial in an attempt to find something that might prolong his life. After three months of declining health and fighting symptoms we discovered that the new drug Sutent, our last hope, had also failed to work. With my wedding closely approaching he fought hard but sadly, four weeks after walking me down the aisle he passed away, one year after the tumours had spread, aged 47."

Helen Parrott
London