When Graham Bonner, from Otterspool, saw blood in his urine when he went to the loo on an evening out with his family in December 2022, he immediately knew to ring his doctor.
After seeing his GP, and going through various tests and procedures, he was given the news in March 2023 that he had cancer. Doctors were initially unable to determine where the cancer had started but cancer was found in the urethra, the small tube that transports urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. A 4.5cm tumour was also found on his kidney.
Graham began treatment at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre straight away, working with the Trust’s urology team including Consultant Clinical Oncologist Dr Joachim Chan and Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma-Jayne Kelly. He was told his cancer was serious and he may have a matter of months to live.
“I was devastated but pragmatic” explains Graham, 71, a retired Purchasing Director. “I just asked the team what we could do about it and would do whatever I was told. Even during my lowest points, the treatment gave me something to focus on.”
Initially, Graham breezed through his chemotherapy treatment, which took place at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool. However, the treatment took its toll. “By the time I got to my penultimate session, I was battered” Graham says. “The latter stages of chemotherapy were hard – I was exhausted, sick and going to the toilet was awful. But the treatment did its job!”
Following a month off chemotherapy treatment, in August 2023, Graham began receiving immunotherapy treatment. Around 18 months later, he started having the immunotherapy treatment through Clatterbridge’s Chemotherapy at Home service. Sitting in the comfort of his own home, he was able to receive his immunotherapy through an IV, with an expert nurse on hand. Graham says “Having my treatment at home was incredible – to not have to travel into hospital and just spend an hour receiving my treatment before I cracked on with my day, was revolutionary. And the team were amazing!”
Throughout his experience, Graham has been keen to build up his strength and get back to doing the things he loves, including gardening. “I’d always been strong and gardening was a passion of mine. Going through cancer treatment made me very weak and unable to get outside as much as I’d have liked to.”
Thanks so the support of his family, including his wife Julie and children James and Emily, Graham is back doing what he loves, and also supporting the local community with his green fingers.
gardening work for local residents.
“My neighbour Piero and I provide a gardening service for vulnerable members of the community – those on their own or unable to tend to their own gardens. We absolutely love it and it’s an opportunity for me to continue my passion for gardening.”
Graham is also grateful for the care he continues to receive from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, which is allowing him to live well after his diagnosis.
“Emma-Jayne has been a huge support to me – advocating for me, ensuring I had the best quality of life and acting as a middleperson when I’ve needed surgery to remove or replace the stents I’ve been fitted with.
“I now no longer have a stent and that the original tumour on my kidney has now disappeared. As my cancer is stage 4, I’ll be on immunotherapy the rest of my life and we’re not sure what the long-term future of treatment is. But I’ve outlived the sell-by date I was given, something I’m incredibly grateful for.”
