Just a week ago, on the 4th of February, we marked an International World Cancer Day, a global initiative created to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. NHS in the UK currently states - 1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. But what does it really mean? Why is it becoming even more important to pay attention to your own body? And what could future cancer treatment potentially look like?

My guest Steve Ryder is an IT specialist, a husband, and a dad of three. He is also someone who, while leading a healthy lifestyle and focusing on doing his health checks on time, unfortunately received an unexpected stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2020. His cancer journey has been full of extreme lows and inspiring highs, reminding us how important our mindset can be in situations like these. Steve is also one of the cancer patients who has been able to receive a new form of cancer treatment called immunotherapy that only started to be trialled in 2016.

In this episode, Steve walks us through the timeline of events that have led him to today, including when the symptoms first appeared, what treatment he received, and how immunotherapy works. He also shares how this journey has been for him and his family and how they chose to approach it mindfully focusing on actions over despair.

Content warning: throughout this episode we discuss cancer, its symptoms, treatment and its impact on those on the receiving end. At times you might find the content upsetting. Please do take a break if you need to or skip over certain parts to protect your own mental health.

Find Steve Ryder on:
Twitter: @QPRSteve

Read Steve’s story and support Brain Tumour Research:
https://www.braintumourresearch.org/stories/in-hope/in-hope-stories/steve-ryder

To learn more about me go to:
Instagram: @conversations.with.my.mind
LinkedIn: Ance Vanaga
Website: www.conversationswithmymind.com

Lovely music created by: Harlowe King