Cancer patient with six months to live finishes third Great Manchester Run
A cancer patient who was given six months to live in 2021 has completed her third Great Manchester Run.Angela Summers thought "she would never be able to do a 10k again" after she was diagnosed with incurable spine and lung cancer since 2021."Every time I go across that line, I just think, 'that's another year I've been here'," Ms Summers said.The 61-year-old said she hoped her story would encourage others who faced serious illness not to give up.
She said: "Every finish line is borrowed time. It keeps me alive, physically and mentally," she said."Even if you're told the worst, never say never."
Ms Summers, from Fallowfield, has been taking part in the Great Manchester Run since 2005.But shortly after completing the race in 2021 she began suffering back pain which turned out to be a spinal tumour – a secondary cancer from a primary tumour in her lung. Doctors told Ms Summers that she might never walk again and gave her a prognosis of just six to 18 months. However, after beginning intensive chemotherapy, she began walking short distances with the help of Nordic hiking poles. "It was freezing, it was painful, but it gave me something to work towards," she said. "Walking every day gave me a sense of purpose again and helped relieve the pain."
Believing she was too ill to take part in the 2022 run, Ms Summers' daughter Josie rallied friends and family to take part in her mum's honour.Inspired by their support, Ms Summers made the decision to join them herself at the last minute – and has taken part every year since.Now more than 30-strong, their running group raises funds for cancer charity Maggie's, which supported Ms Summers and her family as they navigated her diagnosis. Ms Summers has undergone 36 rounds of chemotherapy and still attends scans every three months. The tumours are stable, allowing her to remain off chemotherapy for the past 12 months.She said she walked every day and trained for each 10K event with the same determination that got her through treatment, using her sticks for support."I can't run anymore, the pain's too much, but I can still walk. I take painkillers, I lean on my poles, and I get it done," she said.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
11 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Asylum seekers allowed to stay because of high blood pressure
An elderly Sri Lankan couple won the right to stay in the UK after claiming that treatment for high blood pressure in their home country was 'inadequate'. The unnamed husband and wife, who are in their late 60s, came to Britain to visit their daughter and son-in-law in 2022. But two months later they claimed asylum, and when this was denied by the Home Office they successfully appealed. The husband told an immigration tribunal he was suffering from depression, severe anxiety, hypertension and diabetes and suggested he was 'unwilling' to access care in the South Asian nation. An asylum judge agreed that sending them back would breach their human rights. The Home Office challenged the ruling that they could stay because of poor quality medical treatment in Sri Lanka by arguing the first judge had not shown that the husband was 'seriously ill'. But the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber disagreed and ruled in favour of their claim. The hearing was told that the couple, who were granted anonymity by the court, entered the UK in May 2022. In July that year the husband made a claim for asylum with his wife as a dependent, alleging a fear of persecution due to threats made by the family of another son-in-law. They then brought further claims on protection and human rights grounds that were rejected by the Home Office in February last year. The husband appealed the decision at a First-tier Tribunal, where he confirmed they were not challenging the protection or asylum decisions, just the human rights claim. He made his argument under Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), respectively covering inhumane or degrading treatment and the right to a family life. The husband submitted that he would not be able to get adequate care in Sri Lanka for his depression, severe anxiety, high blood pressure and diabetes. The couple also claimed there was a 'real risk' they could commit suicide if they were forced to return to their home country based on their mental state and 'subjective fear'. Their appeal was granted by the First-tier Tribunal. The Home Office chose to appeal the asylum tribunal's findings, arguing that 'inadequacy' of treatment is not the same as someone being unable to access it. Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Stuart Neilson found that there was no legal error by the First-tier tribunal. The judge dismissed the Home Office's appeal, meaning the First-tier Tribunal's decision stands and the couple will be allowed to remain in the UK. He said: 'Finally on the issue of the First-tier Tribunal referencing both the 'inadequacy' of the treatment and the 'willingness' of the respondent to undertake any treatment in Sri Lanka I do not consider that the use of this language in the determination represents an error of law. 'The inadequacy of the treatment may amount to absence of appropriate treatment and depending upon the circumstances both 'willingness' and the 'inadequacy' of the treatment may have some relevance to the issue of access.'
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Serious concerns are raised over self-swab 'DIY' rape kits being issued to university students
A rape support charity has raised 'serious concerns' over self-swab 'rape kits' being marketed to UK university students. The kits mean people who have been sexually assaulted or raped can swab themselves and ship it to a lab so the DNA of an alleged attacker can be tested. Some of the samples can be stored and frozen for up to two decades, and if police are later notified of an incident it can be given to a respective force. In recent months, these kits have now been shared with students across UK universities. Companies have said such kits provide victims a simpler way to report rape, while also saying they act as a deterrent. But Rape Crisis England and Wales have issued a stark warning, while raising several concerns with the way the rape kits functioned. In a statement via their website, it cited fears the kits gave victims 'false hope' as self-collected evidence might not hold up in criminal court. 'Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials,' it said. 'There is far more evidence than DNA which is relevant in a situation where a survivor chooses to pursue criminal justice, and which can and should be collected if that's the right option for her. 'At-home kits can't offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.' Evidence is made reliable when it is carried out in professional forensic medical examinations, where the area is controlled and forensically cleaned to avoid contamination, according to the charity. And unlike medical examinations, self-swab kits can't collect all evidence needed, including, injuries, clothing, blood samples and medical findings. While the kits are able to collect DNA evidence, Rape Crisis also said its rarely used in trails and can't prove any interaction was non-consensual. 'More importantly, survivors need specialist, trauma-informed support to help them understand their options in the short, medium and longer term after rape or any form of sexual abuse,' it said. They also have a low conviction rate for rape, with five of six victims in the UK opting not to report a sexual assault. Last year, 2.7 percent of the 71,227 rapes recorded by police ended in perpetrators being charged. Firms selling the self-swab 'rape' kits said they give victims of sexual assault a 'simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence'. Enough, a firm selling such kits for £20 online and has been giving them to University of Bristol students for free, said their aim 'is deterrence not immediate criminal justice'. The company claimed 70 percent of university students they surveyed at Bristol said the kits had prevented acts of sexual violence on campus. In the last half-a-year, more than 200 reports were made, the not-for profit claimed, with 90 percent of Bristol students saying they were aware of Enough, the firm told The Independent. Katie White, the Enough co-founder said: 'Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is "how does this not already exist?" They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped.' On their website, it encouraged survivors to report the incident to police or to attend a SARC first, so they can get a full forensic examination. It also said while their kits were made by the same forensic experts who make them for the police, there was no guarantee self-collected evidence would be admissible in court. It comes after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine and Rape Crisis issued a statement last year saying they did not support the kits. They said it could 'put survivors at risk' if they weren't informed with the correct knowledge.
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
New ‘Ozempic pill' is better than ‘skinny jabs' and helps you lose weight even faster, study suggests
A NEW 'Ozempic pill' leads to faster weight loss than the popular 'skinny jabs', studies have suggested. The new weight loss medication, which can also be offered by injection, can help patients lose a significant amount of weight. An early study found that patients who received amycretin as a weekly jab lost 24% of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment. But initial trials assessing a tablet form of the jab saw promising results with patients losing an average 13% of bodyweight in just three months. This suggests the drug leads to greater weight loss than Wegovy, the 'sister jab' of Ozempic. Such treatments have been called transformative by NHS leaders. It's estimated that around 1.5 million Brits currently receive weight loss jabs through specialist weight loss services or private prescriptions. But weight pills offer a new hope to millions looking to lose weight as the injections put additional pressure on an overstretched NHS. However, further clinical trials are needed before the treatment can be made available in the UK. This could take several years and there's no guarantee that regulators will approve the use of the drug. Amycretin, made by Novo Nordisk, contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy and helps control blood sugar and appetite. It targets specific receptors in the body - the GLP-1 and amylin receptors - helping you feel full and stops overeating. An early trial published in The Lancet found that 125 adults taking weekly injections containing higher doses of the drug lost nearly a quarter of their body weight after 36 weeks. It also showed signs of improving blood sugar levels. However, there were some mild to moderate side effects including nausea and vomiting but these were resolved by the end of the treatment. Experts said that the medicine appeared "safe and tolerable" but further studies were needed to fully assess the drug. But a second trial, also published in The Lancet, assessed the drug in tablet form in 144 people. Those taking the highest dose of 100mg lost 13% of their body weight over four months. Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons The authors wrote: "Amycretin effectively lowered body weight and improved metabolic and glycaemic parameters in people who were overweight or obese. "Longer studies with more participants are warranted for evaluation of the safety and efficacy of amycretin in individuals living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to optimise the dosing regimen." As with the first trial, there were also some mild to moderate side effects including loss of appetite and similar gastrointestinal issues. It comes as a separate study examined the effects of the weight-loss jab, Wegovy, at higher doses. The researchers found that giving patients 7.2mg of Wegovy once a week led to an average weight loss of 21%, with a third of participants losing 25% of their body weight over 72 weeks. The studies were also presented to the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago.
