CANCER patients find all sorts of ways to help them through the tough days of treatment. Kathie Parkinson found comfort in cake!
As Kathie progressed through testing, diagnosis and treatment, she got out her mixing bowl and created delicious treats for family and friends, and blogged about her experience.
Readers of ‘Cancer Cakes’ on Kathie’s blog tucked into:
Cherry tart day – the day she received a call-back after a routine mammogram.
Lemon sugar cube scones, to sweeten the day her consultant found a second suspicious lump.
Mug cakes with salted caramel sauce to mark the day of her operation.
Chestnut mousse mixed with radiotherapy treatment.
And then there was the raspberry blue marble Sci Fi cake with edible glitter that almost sent her into orbit!
Kathie, from Harrow, north London, who is now cancer-free and well, is backing a Cancer Research UK campaign to help fund more big breakthroughs in research.
Thirty years ago this month, Cancer Research UK scientists were at the forefront of the discovery of the BRCA genes – helping to unlock the knowledge that faults in these genes increase people’s risk of developing certain cancers including breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers.
Around 70% of women with faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes will develop breast cancer by the age of 80.*
Three decades later this incredible breakthrough is saving and improving the lives of people like her – now and in the future – by revolutionising how these cancers are prevented, diagnosed and treated.
Kathie, 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. She underwent a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. She is now on maintenance treatment, taking a drug called Letrozole to help prevent breast cancer returning. Cancer Research UK trialed the first drug in this class.
While undergoing treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Kathie was invited to join a new study called BRCA-DIRECT. This involved using a home testing kit to find out if she carried the BRCA gene mutation. BRCA testing is usually done with a blood test at a hospital appointment, but the at-home saliva test is designed to improve access to BRCA testing while also freeing up capacity in the NHS.
Kathie spoke to her husband Chris, her sisters and her four grown-up children, knowing the results could have implications for them. But they were all fully behind her.
“Genetics had never entered my head before this point,” said Kathie. “I was undergoing so many tests at the time that one more didn’t seem a problem. And it was very, very easy to do – it was just a saliva test. I was isolating before my operation anyway, so Chris just dropped it in the post box.
“It was incredibly stressful waiting for the results, but it was worth it. The more info you have, the easier it is to deal with whatever the outcome is.”
The results, which came back in two weeks, showed Kathie didn’t carry the faulty BRCA gene. But she’s sharing her experience during Breast Cancer Awareness month to shine a light on how people can help drive more discoveries by donating monthly to the charity.
“The size of the prize that has come from investing in BRCA research over the last 30 years is remarkable,” she said. “And most important of all, it has given families hope. Thanks to Cancer Research UK, so many preventative measures and targeted drugs are now available because of this landmark discovery.
“Advances like this simply wouldn’t be possible without regular monthly donations from the public that keep the charity’s scientists researching month in, month out. This vital work needs our support to help create more ‘Eureka!’ moments.”
The charity has also been responsible for a new family of drugs called PARP inhibitors. Often used to treat people with faulty BRCA-driven cancers, researchers are now exploring how they could be used to treat many more types of the disease.
Kathie added: “I haven’t had to make any tough decisions over my treatment or undergoing preventative surgery. But plenty of others do. And the availability of genetic testing will make it so much better for them. Cancer Research UK has helped change the course of so many family cancer stories, so I want to do my bit to raise vital awareness and funds.”
Kathie, a clinical psychologist, has always baked but during treatment she found it cathartic to combine her cakes with a blog, talking about her cancer journey.
“Baking took my mind off things,” she said. “I like making cakes that make people go ‘Aahh’ when they see or smell them. And the response I had from people who read the blog was wonderful. I had a lot of feedback saying it was helpful to read an account from someone who had gone through treatment. I guess they identified with it and it helped make things a little less scary.”
However, she managed to scare herself with one of her bakes. As she recalled on her blog: “In the days leading up to my operation my imagination about my Nuclear Medicine appointment had run riot with me. I was going to be transported into the future!
“I’d created a ‘Raspberry Blue Marble Sci-Fi cake’ with edible glitter on top, reflecting this stage in my life. It looked garish. And after we’d eaten a few slices, my neurosis overcame me and I panicked about the metal in the glitter which was now- too late – in my alimentary canal.
“It dawned on me they were going to use strong magnets and X-ray machines during the operation to locate and check the lump. I’d knew it was stupid, but I still couldn’t prevent myself from picking up the phone and calling the nurse to get reassurance that this metal wouldn’t be sucked through my organs towards the magnet and cause internal bleeding. Of course, they reassured me, it would be fine. I imagine that they must have been laughing their heads off after they put down the phone!”
Every year in London around 36,500 people are diagnosed with cancer, making the message clear – to save lives tomorrow, the charity needs people’s support today.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for London, Lynn Daly, said: “Together, we are beating cancer. From understanding DNA repair and helping to discover the BRCA genes to developing treatments for faulty BRCA-driven cancers, we’re making huge leaps forward thanks to the generosity of our supporters. So, we’re grateful to Kathie for helping to highlight the enormous difference a regular income makes to our work.
“It means we can plan ahead, committing to long-term research projects with huge potential to help save more lives. And because of monthly donations we can learn more, faster and accelerate progress.
“We hope people will consider giving regularly to the charity, if they can, because our work isn’t done yet. We want to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. No matter who they are or where they’re from.”
Donate monthly to Cancer Research UK at cruk.org/donate
