A clinical trials patient in Manchester is celebrating a new lease of life after having had “a remarkable response” to a new specific gene-targeting treatment that controls how cancer grows.
49-year-old Terri Hurdman, from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, found out she had advanced bowel cancer on Valentine’s Day two years ago, and didn’t even think she’d make it past Christmas 2021 after finding herself left completely exhausted and out of breath from simple tasks such as climbing the stairs, walking a short distance, or even talking on the phone due to her cancer.
But within hours of trialling a new drug at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, she was climbing stairs with no effort.
After three months, scans showed her tumours had halved in size.
Terri – who has three children and six grandchildren – was a previously fit and healthy factory worker used to doing manual work for a firm producing medical supplies, and had no symptoms until she got stomach ache and thought it might be IBS – but after having been referred by her GP to Kidderminster hospital, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, which had spread to her lungs, and started chemotherapy a month later.
After three types of chemotherapy didn’t work, she was told she had no other options and was taken off the drugs.
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By August 2021, Terri had become very ill, had lost a stone and a half in weight, and was becoming weaker, so she was forced to use a wheelchair to get out and about, but luckily, her consultant at Kidderminster hospital knew The Christie in Manchester was running early phase clinical trials which used targeted therapies – a type of cancer treatment that targets the genes and proteins that control how cancer cells grow and spread – and referred her to see if the trial would be suitable.
Terri is taking part in a new experimental drug trial at The Christie in Manchester / Credit: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Terri’s DNA had already been analysed as part of standard NHS testing, and it was found she had a mutation in the KRAS gene of her cancer.
Fortunately, the new international clinical trial was designed specifically for people with the gene mutation that Terri has, so she passed the screening and was recruited onto the trial, and immediately after taking the first dose of the tablets last October, her condition “improved significantly”, specialists at The Christie said.
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So much so, Terri was able to walk up some stairs without getting out of breath for the first time in months.
“It’s like a miracle. It really is a wonder drug as within days, I didn’t need to use the wheelchair at all, and I didn’t get out of breath climbing stairs, which would have previously led to a coughing fit,” Terri explained.
“That day, I spoke to my sister on the phone for an hour, something that would have wiped me out before, and my appetite came back, which made me look so much healthier, and the colour returned to my cheeks.
“I didn’t think I’d make it to Christmas, but now I’m looking forward to celebrating my 50th birthday in July.
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2022 
