We are The Christie magazine March 2025 Staff edition

Patient stories

Bianca Perea

Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, is the first person in the UK to have a liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. Thanks to the transplant and previous treatments, Bianca is now cancer-free.

Bianca, a patient here at The Christie, had the successful operation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in 2024. Bianca, who lives in Wigan with her dog, Cubby, was diagnosed at the age of 29, with stage 4 bowel cancer in November 2021. Initially experiencing mild symptoms like bloating and constipation, she was referred for emergency tests that revealed the cancer had spread to all eight segments of her liver. "To be diagnosed with bowel cancer at such a young age was a shock. As it had spread, they told me they could only offer palliative chemotherapy. The prognosis didn’t seem real; I just couldn’t take it in." Determined, Bianca began treatment at The Christie’s Wigan centre in December 2021, undergoing 37 rounds of chemotherapy and targeted therapy over two and a half years. Her excellent response to treatment led to bowel surgery in 2023. Although scans revealed inoperable liver tumours, Bianca was referred to Leeds, where she became eligible for a transplant. In summer 2024, she underwent the life-saving surgery.

“Within four weeks of going under the knife, I was able to drive and walk the dogs, it was really quite incredible,” she says. “To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now being cancer free is the greatest gift. I’ve been given a second chance at life and I’m going to grab it with both hands. I am so grateful to the family who agreed to donate their loved one’s liver. I also wouldn't be here without my incredible teams, both at The Christie and at Leeds. Everything that was happening to me was so scary, but I always felt in incredibly safe hands. I can’t thank them enough.” Dr Kalena Marti, Bianca’s Christie oncologist, says, “When we examined the tumour cells in her liver, they weren’t active. This is excellent news, and we hope the cancer won’t return.” Dr Ian Rowe, from Leeds, adds, “I’m delighted that Bianca has responded so well to the treatment and is now cancer free. We are, indebted to the family of the organ donor – as is made clear with Bianca’s case, organ donation saves lives." It is quick and easy to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk

“To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now beingcancer free is the greatest gift"

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