Claire Swan
Bowel cancer patient
Cotswolds, England
"I'm Claire Swan, I come from a small village in the Cotswolds close to Oxford and I am a stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor approaching three years NED. I had a T3 colorectal tumor and then further liver metastases.
What advice would I give someone? Advocate for yourself and be informed. I think it's really important to see yourself as part of your medical team and not as a patient.
I think one of the best bits of advice I ever got was from Dame Deborah James who's very important in our country at raising awareness of bowel cancer and she always said be an active part of your team. You know there's an oncologist, yes there's a radiographer, yes there's all these people but actually you are part of that team too.
So stay informed, have an opinion, share your voice, ask all the questions, never be humble and keep on keeping on."
