A mum from Manchester who was told she only had months to live has now been given the breast cancer all-clear after a groundbreaking drug trial.
51-year-old Jasmin David from Fallowfield was a previously fit and healthy mother of two grown-up children, and was working as a clinical lead at a care home for the elderly, before she discovered that she had an aggressive triple negative form of breast cancer in November 2017 after finding a lump above the nipple.
Following her diagnosis, Jasmin then underwent six months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy in April 2018, followed by 15 cycles of radiotherapy.
These treatments successfully cleared her body of cancer, but sadly, back in October 2019, the cancer returned, and scans showed multiple lesions throughout her body meaning she had a poor prognosis.
Jasmin then discovered that the cancer had unfortunately spread to the lungs, lymph nodes, and chest bone, and was given the devastating news that she had less than a year to live.
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Two months later, and with no other options left, Jasmin was offered the opportunity to be part of research by participating in the first phase of a two-year groundbreaking clinical trial, which she accepted, and then in December 2019, began treatment at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
Jasmin David is receiving groundbreaking treatment at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester / Credit: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
During the trial, Jasmin is given an experimental medicine combined with Atezolizumab – an immunotherapy drug administered intravenously – which she continues to have every three weeks.
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Jasmin says she feels “reborn” after beginning the treatment trial.
And she’s now showing no evidence of the disease, and enjoying life with her husband David and children Ryan and Riona.
“I was 15 months down the line after my initial cancer treatment and had almost forgotten about it, but then the cancer returned,” Jasmin explained.
“When I was offered the trial, I didn’t know if it would work for me, but I thought that at least I could do something to help others and use my body for the next generation. At first I had many horrible side effects including headaches and spiking temperatures, so I was in hospital over Christmas and quite poorly – but then thankfully, I started to respond well to the treatment.
"I take each day as a blessing in my life." Jasmin was diagnosed with cancer and given less than a year to live. But she's now been told she's clear of the disease after taking part in a clinical trial.
By June 2021, scans showed no measurable cancer cells in Jasmin’s body and she was then declared cancer free, but will still remain on treatment until December 2023.
Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite, medical oncologist and clinical director of Manchester CRF at The Christie – who is leading on the study in the UK – said: “We are really pleased that Jasmin has had such a good outcome, and at The Christie, we are continually testing new drugs and therapies to see if they can benefit more people.”
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
5th July 2022 
