Living With Molly

16/09/2026

amazing news ❤️🥰

A former nurse who was given a year to live when she was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer is now free of the disease after pioneering surgery at the hospital where she worked.

Caroline Ainslie, 60, had a 'shock' stage four diagnosis in March this year after feeling fatigued and not fully recovering from a winter chest infection.

After undergoing tests, she was informed the cancer had spread to multiple areas and her only treatment option would be three initial rounds of chemotherapy, with a view to simply extending her life rather than cure her of cancer.

Mrs Ainslie said learning that she was dying from an inoperable cancer was 'a bolt out of the blue'.

She had been active just weeks earlier, going on a skiing holiday, walking her dog with her wife, and even taking part in a 10-mile running race.

However, her response to treatment exceeded expectations, significantly reducing the disease and enabling her to undergo surgery using a pioneering treatment.

The procedure, known as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC, involves surgically removing cancerous tumours, then delivering heated chemotherapy in liquid form directly into the body.

Mrs Ainslie, from Southampton, Hants, is now cancer-free thanks to the treatment at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) - the very same hospital where she was a head of nursing.

Read more: https://trib.al/1hddOLA

13/09/2026

❤️

“Some people laughed in my face when I told them I had breast cancer, they didn’t believe me.

“I found out I had breast cancer just before Christmas 2022. Once I was told I’d need chemotherapy and surgery, I gave up the house I rented for 14 years and moved in with my parents. I honestly don’t know how I would have coped on my own.

“I started chemo, then had surgery, and radiotherapy.

“There's still such a stigma around male breast cancer. I had to explain that it wasn’t a joke and that I've had chemotherapy and a mastectomy. They said they didn't know that men could get breast cancer.

“I think wearing pink to raise awareness is one of the best things I could do, I can't recommend it enough. I feel so fortunate for the outcome I’ve had.

“Be proud, wear it loud and raise awareness!” - Reuben

Wear it Pink like Reuben this October, and help us change the future of breast cancer. Now

05/09/2026

what an amazing lady who has been through so much ❤️🥰

This is Annie. She was diagnosed with stage four cancer after falling ill while pregnant 💔

Annie was first diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of just 32 after finding a lump in her left breast.

She underwent a gruelling course of treatment including chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy.

Despite a setback during treatment, when she developed sepsis, she was eventually given the all-clear.

Before the treatment, Annie made the decision to freeze her eggs after being told her fertility could be affected.

But in 2024, she and her husband Daniel were delighted to find out that they had conceived naturally.

Then at 35 weeks, Annie became very unwell again while on holiday in France.

The couple cut their trip short and travelled back to the UK, reaching her sister's home in Berkshire before she was admitted to hospital.

There, she received the devastating news that her cancer had returned and was now stage four 😔

Doctors found a 3.5cm tumour on the back of her brain and a trace on her left lung.

An emergency caesarean section was carried out to deliver the couple's son Francis four weeks early.

Annie then underwent a seven-hour operation to remove the tumours followed by a course of radiotherapy.

However tragically, again, at the end of last year, the cancer returned for a second time in her liver and brain. Annie was then also diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease, a serious complication in which cancer cells spread to the tissues and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord 😢

She underwent even more surgery to remove half of her liver followed by chemotherapy. Annie was forced to take medical retirement from her career.

After months of gruelling treatment, Annie gradually began to feel more like herself. She then received the incredible 'miracle' news that her most recent full-body scans showed no evidence of cancer ❤️

You are so brave Annie, must have been so difficult but congratulations on being cancer free 🙌

11/08/2026

Devastating news. Lucy Davis has announced via her Instagram that the stage 4 breast cancer she was diagnosed with has spread. She said:

“Hi friends:) I wanted to share something with you all that I've kept to myself for a while but for various reasons would like to share now.

A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer, which has metastasized to my bones. Specifically to my spine, right hip, and my ribs. The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo.

The initial lump that I felt, wasn't a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny. I almost didn't bother getting it checked. So l guess I'm saying don't ignore anything - get everything checked out:)

As of now, I'm trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can.

I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens. And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there's a lot I have learned from it, and I'm grateful for that.

As some of you will know, the pain can really be something else. Standing and walking for too long a time can be hard, and I need to use a wheelchair sometimes (so if you see me toddling around in one, feel free to give me a push!)

The thing that has been most vital to me is humour. I asked my friends and family to make fun of me as much as possible (which they're really good at ), and most importantly of all to not treat me like a sick person. There's nothing that will make you feel more unwell than being treated as if you're unwell.

I'm not scared of whatever comes next. I'm at peace with it. I'II see my Gracie sooner than expected, and for me, leaving my physical body just means going home. Any and all grieving is for my family; it's far harder for them than for me.

I'm still going to keep up all my work for animal rights. It's so important to me
And I still would like to keep working. I'm perfectly able to do so, and acting is one of the biggest joys in my life.

For those of you on a similar journey to mine, l do wish you well. Cancer asks a lot from us, physically and mentally. And we all get to do it however we choose.
Much love to you all”

Thoughts are with Lucy and her family and friends. ❤️

29/07/2026

❤️

Catherine speaks with 10-year-old patient Ruby Day during her visit to The Christie.

09/06/2026

A new drug being trialled at The Christie has the potential to make immunotherapy effective where it hasn't been before.

Immunotherapies harness the body's immune system to find and attack cancer cells.

The pill, currently called GRWD5769, has shown promise in shrinking tumours or keeping them stable in six advanced and hard-to-treat cancers - cervical, bladder, liver, non-small cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and a type of bowel cancer called microsatellite stable bowel cancer.

Every patient who benefitted had already failed treatment, and most had no conventional treatment options left after multiple lines. Crucially, immunotherapy hadn't worked or had stopped working.

Some people on the EMITT-1 trial saw their tumours shrink by 30% or more.

The drug works by targeting an enzyme called ERAP1, which cancer cells use to hide from the immune system.

When paired with Cemiplimab, an existing immunotherapy, it frees up the patient’s immune system to allow it to target the cancer on its own.

💬Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite, Consultant Medical Oncologist, is leading the trial at The Christie:

“Immunotherapy has been a game-changer in the way we treat cancer, but the number of people that can benefit is still relatively low.

“What excites me about this trial is the combination of what we’re seeing - strong signals of efficacy across six tumour types that have shown great resistance to immunotherapy, with very few side effects. That's unusual at such an early stage when we’re usually just looking at how safe it is.

“There’s a lot more work to be done before it reaches the clinic, but for a brand-new drug to show that kind of profile so early, and in so many different types of hard-to-treat cancers, gives me genuine optimism.”

06/06/2026

Realised I’ve not shared my blog for any Molly followers - here’s the link to follow the journey and all the ups and downs that come with it (promise it’s not all doom and gloom lol!) ❤️

http://livingwithmolly.co.uk

Latest post:
http://livingwithmolly.co.uk/2026/06/05/head-wobble/

Honest updates, messy thoughts, dark humour and music as I navigate breast cancer for a second time, and try to make sense of it all.

04/06/2026

This had me in tears before watching it on the news. Was also nice to see some familiar faces there ❤️

30/05/2026

This is positive (for negatives!) 🥰❤️

Incoming news for triple negative breast cancer research!

Professors Andrew Tutt and Sheeba Irshad from the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at Institute of Cancer Research and our research unit at King’s College London have made an exciting discovery.

Their research has shown that a scan taken before surgery after just 1 cycle of chemotherapy could indicate how well triple negative breast cancer is responding to treatment.

And in the future, this could lead to improved treatment decisions that help more people get the treatment that’s right for them at the time they need it.