I’m Kevin. I’m 67, and I never imagined my life would change so suddenly, or so dramatically.
My cancer journey began with symptoms that were impossible to ignore. Persistent night sweats, then sudden, severe pain on the right side of my abdomen, followed by a frightening drop in blood pressure caused by internal bleeding. What started as a medical emergency soon revealed something far more serious.
I was diagnosed with stage 3 renal cell carcinoma, caused by a 7.5 cm tumour on my kidney. In June 2024, I underwent an emergency radical nephrectomy. The surgery was lifesaving, but the pathology results brought difficult news: the cancer was aggressive, with a high likelihood of recurrence.
After surgery, I began immunotherapy with pembrolizumab – a treatment designed to help the immune system recognise and fight cancer cells. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. Scans later showed that the cancer had returned and spread to my lungs, and my diagnosis was updated to stage 4 metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
The next treatment was Tivozanib, a targeted therapy. While it did slow the growth of the lung metastases, new tumours appeared in my lymph nodes. The treatment also came with significant side effects, making it difficult to tolerate.
Today, I’m on a combination of lenvatinib and everolimus. This has helped slow the progression of the lung metastases, although the disease in my lymph nodes continues to progress. Side effects remain a challenge, but dose reductions have helped make the treatment more manageable.
My journey has been one of constant adaptation and uncertainty. Like many people living with metastatic cancer, I balance hope with realism – navigating complex treatments while focusing on quality of life. My story is a reminder that cancer is not a straight path, and that day by day, I’m learning how to keep moving forward and adapt as new information emerges.
