Setting up cancer support group 'gave me purpose'

Niki Ridge set up Swindon Cancer Connect after realising there was no group like it for people with the condition

A woman who is living with kidney cancer says setting up a support group for other cancer patients has given her a "purpose".

Niki Ridge, 57, was diagnosed with incurable cancer in February 2022 after doctors found a 10cm tumour on her kidneys, several lung lesions and metastasis on her spine and ribs.

Now, Ms Ridge, who said she initially found it difficult to find support, has set up Swindon Cancer Connect, for others who are also going through a cancer diagnosis.

Ms Ridge said she hopes the group, which will meet once a month and is supported by Macmillan nurses, will show others they are not alone.

'Thought I was menopausal'

Ms Ridge, from Old Walcot, Swindon, said she first went to the GP in January 2022, after suffering with night sweats and a cough, something she had thought was linked to her hormonal replacement therapy (HRT).

"I'd been on HRT for a while already so I thought it may have been menopausal," she said.

Ms Ridge, who has two sons, said the doctor initially agreed and suggested adjusting her HRT, until "in passing", she mentioned that she had also been experiencing a cough.

Ms Ridge was later sent for a chest X-ray and "within hours" she was told she would be referred for further tests.

A further CT scan showed not only a tumour on her kidneys but that it had spread to her bones and lungs.

"I googled it and I thought I had less than six months," she said.

"I had all the different indicators which meant that I had the poorest projected outcome," she added.

Ms Ridge said she hopes the group will help support others living with cancer

What are the symptoms of kidney cancer?

According to the NHS, kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is most common in people over the age of 60.

Symptoms include:

• blood in your urine

• sweating a lot, including at night

• a lump or swelling in your back, under your ribs, or in your neck

• pain between your ribs and waist that does not go away

• loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to

• feeling tired or having no energy

• a high temperature that does not go away

Ms Ridge said she is undergoing immunotherapy to treat her cancer

Once the "initial horror" settled, Ms Ridge said it was then she started to think about setting up a support group after noticing there was no group dedicated to kidney cancer or "just cancer in general".

Ms Ridge said the hospital even had a support group for carers of people with the condition but nothing for cancer patients.

"I thought, let’s do something about it," she said.

Ms Ridge said the first meeting was on 14 May and she was amazed that people turned up.

"They literally walked in and they were almost grinning because they were so relieved to have the opportunity to talk to people."

"It was good for them to see people who had the condition for so long and were well and having a good time," she added.

'Up and down'

On her diagnosis in particular, Ms Ridge said it had been up and down, especially after finding out the cancer had further spread to her breast in October 2022.

She also underwent surgery in February 2023, after doctors found a 3cm brain tumour.

However, undergoing immunotherapy treatment, a drug treatment that works by helping your immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells, her main tumour has since more than halved and her lungs are now clear.

The lump in her breast has also since disappeared and is no longer reported on her scans.

Ms Ridge said: "I didn’t know you could have advanced cancer and live a really good life"

Ms Ridge said while she was "in a bad place" and "nobody could have" told her it "wasn't going to be as bleak", she is now in a place that she "never" thought she would be.

"I didn’t know you could have advanced cancer and live a really good life. I used to think once it had spread, you were a goner," she said.

On advice to others going through similar, Ms Ridge said: "Everybody’s journey is so different."

"Just believe in the science and take all the help that is offered to you. That personally works for me," she added.