The Christie charity Impact Report 2021-22

Toby’s cancer was more widespread than first thought, meaning doctors initially thought that curative surgery wasn’t possible. He was given a glimmer of hope when he was told that there was a slight chance that chemotherapy before his surgery might reduce the extent of the cancer, allowing surgery to be more effective. Even though the odds were low, Toby was determined to try. After six rounds of chemotherapy, Toby received the amazing news that the treatment had worked enough to allow him to go on to have CRS and HIPEC at the Colorectal and Peritoneal centre at The Christie with Professor Sarah O’Dwyer, an internationally renowned expert in this treatment. After a 13hour operation and further chemotherapy, followed by an extended period of recovery, Toby received the best news of all: his cancer had been removed and his scans were all clear. Five years on, Toby is making the most of life and remains cancer free. He changed his career to leave his job as a science and sport teacher and followed his lifelong dream of becoming a cricket coach. He and his wife Jacqui welcomed their son, Finn, into the world in 2019 two years after Toby’s cancer diagnosis. Toby said: “The Christie saved my life and it really allowed me to reassess the direction I was heading in. I’ve since gone on to have a family and give up teaching for my dream job. It was an incredibly tough experience, the treatment was arduous, but I’m here to tell the tale and loving life.”

THE CHRISTIE SAVED MY LIFE AND IT REALLY ALLOWED ME TO REASSESS THE DIRECTION I WAS HEADING IN. Toby Ward

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