A hairdresser whose husband was diagnosed with cancer just days before their wedding is adding her weight to a national fundraising campaign.
Rebecca Dixon told the Birmingham Mail that it’s thanks to developments in treatment that her husband James was able to fight kidney cancer and live to see their little boy Brody born.
Now she and James are backing this year’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign which is run by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. Since its launch in 2012, the appeal has raised over £23 million.
This year’s push, which is backed by a host of celebrities including Davina MacCall , Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen, will culminate in a Channel 4 special on October 9.
Rebecca and James’ story began when the 43-year-old company director was diagnosed in August 2013 – just five days before the couple were due to marry in Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire.
35-year-old Rebecca was picking up her wedding dress when James got the grim news.
“He phoned me from Warwick Hospital but didn’t tell me,” said Rebecca, who works as a hairdresser at James Bushell Hair in Birmingham and at Charlotte Frances Hair, near the couple’s home in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
“He just said he had an enlarged kidney and needed a CT scan, but I knew that couldn’t be good.
“When I got home he took me into a room and told me he had a tumour on his kidney. My legs just went from under me and I just sobbed for an hour. It was horrendous.”
The couple, who lived in Birmingham at the time, returned to Warwick Hospital the next day. Doctors confirmed James had a tumour the size of an apple wrapped around the main artery going from his kidney to his heart.
“We decided to go ahead with the wedding on September 1 so the hospital rushed all the tests through for us,” said Rebecca. “The wedding was a very emotional day but still wonderful.
“Treatment meant that I had to nip out half way through the wedding breakfast to stab James with a needle but we still managed to party until 2am!”
The couple had planned to fly to Sorrento in Italy for their honeymoon but, due to treatment, went on a tour of England instead.
Three weeks after their big day, James underwent major surgery to remove the tumour along with his kidney, adrenal glands and four lymph nodes.
Tests revealed the cancer had been aggressive, with a high risk of it recurring. It was a blow, but just weeks later the couple discovered Rebecca was pregnant.
“We were over the moon,” said Rebecca. “We changed his diet and introduced exercise as much as we could and we enjoyed Christmas.”
The joy was short-lived. James was admitted to hospital again on New Year’s Day with chest pains. Tests revealed he had nodules on his lung. The cancer had returned.
He was given three options: simply watch and wait, take drugs that inhibit the cancer’s growth for a limited time or undergo a gruelling course of immunotherapy treatment, designed to boost the body’s immune system.
“The immunotherapy was a horrible, brutal treatment but he was lucky to be able to have it because it can give years of remission compared to other drugs,” said Rebecca.
James underwent his first week of treatment in March last year at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, followed by a week’s rest and then another week of treatment.
“It’s the only treatment that potentially can offer long term remission but, unfortunately, the side effects are very severe,” said James. “Your blood pressure drops, your temperature spikes and the treatment basically tries to shut your body down. You do this every eight hours for a maximum of 14 doses.”
Despite the trauma, James underwent the treatment five times over the course of the next year.
Two weeks before the second round of treatment in August last year, Rebecca gave birth to their son Brody.
“That was the happiest day of my life and one I’ll never forget,” said James. “There were some tears shed but it was an amazing day.”
Again, the joy was short-lived. When James underwent his next scan it revealed new tumours had grown in his lungs and stomach.
“We’d pinned all our hopes on me going into remission after Brody was born so we were gutted,” said James. “But I’m quite stubborn so I pressed ahead.”
Weeks later – the day after the couples’ first wedding anniversary in September last year – a new scan revealed all the new tumours had gone and the others had started to shrink.
James’ response to treatment has been so positive that he was able to undergo surgery in August to remove a large tumour from his lung. And although his treatment continues indefinitely, the couple are determined to live every day with Brody to the full.
“Rebecca’s been amazing throughout all of this,” said James. “Without her I probably wouldn’t be here today because she’s pushed me through. Having Brody has been a big driving force, too.
“The question that always comes into your head is how long have I got? I’ve never actually asked the question to any doctor or oncologist. My big worry was that I wouldn’t be here for the birth of Brody but I was determined that I would be. I’m quite a stubborn person and, to be honest, it’s got me through a lot of the rough times over the last two years.
“Mentally, it’s been tough but I’ve managed to get through and if we can help anyone else get through dealing with cancer and raise awareness to promote the research then that’s what we’ll do. Research is key.”
