David Collins

I was diagnosed with advanced Bowel Cancer in 2013 at the age of 32.  After successful treatment over the next year involving multiple surgeries and 6 months of Chemotherapy, I had a year “cancer free” before a routine CT scan found recurrence in 3 lymph nodes in late 2014.  These were again treated successfully but I suffered a further two recurrences, firstly in other Lymph nodes in early 2017 and most recently, my T12 vertebrae in 2019.   I have been back in remission for the last 20 months and am taking daily, low-dose chemotherapy.

Having now learned to live with (my) cancer as a chronic, not terminal disease, I have settled in to a relatively normal life and am keen to contribute to help improve the outcomes for other people; ideally so they do not have to go through what I and my family have been through.  Whilst I am fortunate my cancers have been treatable each time, I have been told my prognosis would have been markedly worse had I been diagnosed even 5 years earlier.  Therefore, I am keen to play my part in helping to keep making advancements, especially to help health providers catch cancer earlier when outcomes are markedly better.