“But life does go on, even with cancer. The bills still come in, there are things to do around the house, and you have to keep going on, even with your diagnosis.”
Fortunately, Valerie was able to take part in an immunotherapy clinical trial at St John of God Murdoch Hospital, to which she has responded positively.
“I’m one of four in WA, one of 19 in Australia, and 770 worldwide. It’s extraordinary.”
Valerie began treatment in November 2018, and after six weeks her first check-up scan showed her tumour was shrinking.
Amazingly, after six months of treatment, Valerie’s tumour had shrunk by 70%.
“I really feel extremely fortunate. My results have shown that my lymph nodes have all gone back to normal size, and the main tumour is shrinking.
“It’s expected my tumour will shrink away to nothing, meaning no surgery will be required, and I’ll just be left with is a bit of scarring on my lungs. I can’t believe it.