Early Career Researchers

Edward Taylor is a Patient at Leeds Teaching Hospitals

71-year-old Edward Taylor from Rawdon was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer last summer.

Edward had ignored the last few bowel cancer home test kits he had received; he felt fit and healthy so thought he had nothing to worry about.

It wasn’t until his wife Linda encouraged him to send off a sample when the test kit came through the post that Edward found out that something wasn’t right.

Edward was contacted by the hospital to say they had found something microscopic in his stool sample and he would need to have a CT scan.

The scan revealed the devastating reality that Edward had advanced bowel cancer which had spread to his liver, this came as a huge shock to him and his family as he had experienced no symptoms whatsoever.

Edward was referred to Leeds Cancer Centre for specialist treatment to prepare him for life-saving surgery in February.

Whilst he was in hospital receiving chemotherapy treatment, Edward was approached by Dr Alexios Dosis, who invited him to take part in a clinical trial funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity, hoping to make surgery safer for cancer patients.

Edward was given an innovative wearable device to track his fitness at home ahead of his surgery, as an alternative to using the traditional cycle test at the hospital, which is not inclusive for patients with mobility issues.

We spoke to Edward about why he was motivated to take part in the trial:

“Although I was fit and well enough to use the traditional bike test, I understood that many patients who are frail or have limited mobility would really struggle. The trial was something simple I could take part in but has the potential to transform outcomes for future patients, trials like this are the only way to push things forward.

“I know that charity funding plays a key role in making trials like this possible. For me it was reassuring to see first-hand the process involved in driving change to improve outcomes for future patients.”

After taking part in the trial, Edward underwent a 7-hour operation which successfully removed the cancer from his bowel and liver, using innovative robotic surgery.

Edward spent six days in hospital following his surgery because of an adverse reaction to his kidneys meaning he needed to be monitored before returning home.

Now, Edward is back to normality and fully recovered from his surgery, enjoying spending quality time with Linda and stepdaughter Sarah and his three grandchildren. He still needs to visit the hospital every 6 months for check-ups and says that his positive attitude and support from his loved ones helped him get back to himself.

All photo credits: Ruby Lee
@ruby.angelaleephoto
rubyangelalee.myportfolio.com