When Rhian Moore was told she had cancer she said she felt like a failure. She was also overcome with a sense of deep frustration that her own body had brought her busy work and social life grinding to a halt.
Her devastating diagnosis came in 2019 after she noticed changes to a mole on her back. To be on the safe side she visited her GP in Pencoed, Bridgend, to rule out anything sinister.
"I showed my GP my mole and he just went white and made an urgent referral to a specialist," recalled Rhian, who thanks to a workplace healthcare scheme saw a consultant dermatologist within a week to have the mole removed before being referred back to the NHS for follow-up.
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The mole was found to be melanoma – a form of skin cancer. "I didn't know what to think. I had cancer. I've never been one to spend a lot of time in the sun, or use sunbeds, so I found it difficult to understand how I had skin cancer," she added.
Rhian, at the age of 41, underwent a second surgery to widen the margins around the original site of the mole to reduce the risk of the cancerous cells spreading. The operation was deemed a success and she had a follow-up CT scan which came back clear. "It was such a relief – I thought no more of it," she added.
But in June 2021, shortly after having a routine mammogram as part of her workplace medical, Rhian found a lump the size of a gobstopper under her right arm. She added: "I remember that week like it was yesterday. I found the lump on the Monday. I thought it was unusual but I assumed it was a cyst as I'm quite cysty anyway.
"On the Tuesday I chased my mammogram results. On the Thursday I received a call from a consultant telling they'd seen the lump under my arm and wanted to see me straightaway.
"I already had an appointment to see my consultant dermatologist, Dr Li, the following Monday so it was agreed I'd speak to him about the lump. Dr Li ordered an urgent biopsy and CT scan of the lump which took place two weeks later."
Rhian, who works as a Great Western Railway communications specialist, received the news – in the middle of a Zoom call – that she had stage three melanoma which had spread to her lymph nodes. "I was live on screen speaking to a few hundred people and my wifi signal dropped. While I was moving to get a better connection my phone rang and it was Dr Li calling with the results of the biopsy and scan confirming the cancer had returned.
"I felt faint, sick, and knew I had to keep writing down what he was telling me so I could make sense of it later. It was like the floor had swallowed me up and I felt helpless. Thankfully I was with some amazing colleagues that day, including Mark our managing director. They comforted me and helped me come to terms with the news."
Rhian's treatment included axillary dissection – the removal of the lymph nodes in her armpit – and nine rounds of six-weekly intravenous immunotherapy which ended on October 3. Treatment left Rhian feeling constantly tired but resting and recuperating were a struggle for the 44-year-old who lives on her own and is used to a busy schedule with work, volunteering, and leisure activities.
She added: "I just needed to feel like me. It was really hard. I was used to being surrounded by people but I was at home on my own. Being told to rest and not to do too much was hard and I felt I was missing out. I am not very good at being told I can't do things – it makes me even more determined to give things a go."
Following her surgery Rhian started to get back into some of her old hobbies, doing what she could to regain her sense of self and sense of purpose. Thankfully recent CT scans have all shown no signs of cancer and following immunotherapy treatment she was finally given the all-clear on October 20.
Rhian is now back up to full speed volunteering as Chief Commissioner for Scouts in Wales and enjoying pilates and the tranquillity that comes from paddle boarding. She is also backing Stand Up To Cancer, the joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. She is urging supporters to fundraise in their own way or pick from a host of fun-filled ideas to raise vital funds at work, home, or school. A free fundraising pack is available online for inspiration and support.
"My immunotherapy treatment is relatively new so I'm so grateful for the research that's been done to create better and kinder treatments. Thanks to that research it wasn’t just a case of having chemotherapy, end of discussion, and I’ve been able to get back to the things I love sooner.
"The science really blows my mind . My treatment reboots and rebuilds my immune system, trains it to recognise the protein in my cancer, and kill it if it comes back. I was supported though the whole process by a team of wonderful people and now I feel like a Marvel superhero.
"That’s why I’m lending my heartfelt support to this vitally important campaign. Every action big or small could help make a difference. So I hope people in Wales will Stand Up To Cancer for me and everyone affected by this devastating disease."
In Wales around 19,600 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Stand Up To Cancer helps to take breakthroughs from the lab and transform them, quickly, into cutting-edge treatments that could help save the lives of more people like Rhian.
"You never expect to hear the words: 'You have cancer'. For a while I felt like a failure; annoyed with myself and frustrated by my body – especially having to miss out on things I loved doing," Rhian added.
"But thanks to research I'm still standing and can look forward to the future. Cancer can affect anyone’s life, at any time, so we really have no choice other than to unite against it and help support the scientists to keep making new discoveries. Personally I’m grateful for the science and the research that has led to more personalised treatments being developed for people like me."
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Stand Up To Cancer in the UK. More than £93m has been raised to date, funding 64 clinical trials and projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients. Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Wales, Emma Howell, said: "Thanks to our supporters every day our researchers are working tirelessly to help more people like Rhian survive. They’re finding ways to stop cancer from resisting treatment. They’re improving technology to detect cancer faster and boosting the immune system so that it’s better at destroying cancer cells.
"But there’s so much further to go. One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can play a part to help beat it. That’s why we’re asking everyone to Stand Up To Cancer this autumn and raise money that could help get new tests and treatments to those who need them most. If we all stand together we can save lives.” To fundraise or donate visit su2c.org.uk.
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