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.”
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Finding Emily is set to be released in cinemas across the UK on 22 May, before it debuts in the US on 28 August.
Featured Image – Matt Squire / Focus Features
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Man jailed following series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer
Emily Sergeant
A man has been sentenced this week following a series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer.
Charles McMurray, of Satchel Close in Wigan, appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, threatening a person with a bladed article, and threats to kill following a distressing incident in Wigan town centre last summer.
The court heard that McMurray arrived on Wallgate at around 6:33am on 9 August 2025 before entering a taxi office, where he stabbed two men without warning.
The victims fled, and McMurray pursued them towards the town centre.
McMurray then went on to threaten a passer‑by at Wigan bus station and held a knife to the man’s stomach. A short time later, he located the injured victims on Standishgate and assaulted one of them again. Following that assault, he chased after another member of the public with the knife shouting that he was going to kill him.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers arrived shortly after 6:50am and found McMurray in possession of the knife, before he was subsequently quickly arrested at the scene.
McMurray has now been sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars, which police say is a ‘testament to the brave victims’ who gave their accounts.
Speaking following McMurray’s sentencing this week, Detective Constable Harris from Wigan CID, who led the investigation, said: “This was an entirely unprovoked attack which left multiple victims requiring hospital treatment. McMurray is a dangerous and violent offender who is now safely behind bars.
“Knives have no place on our streets, and we hope today’s sentence shows just how seriously we take knife crime. Our communities should feel safe where they live and work, and we are committed to tackling knife crime to ensure no family has to face their loved ones being harmed.
“It is a testament to the brave victims who not only endured this attack but had the courage to provide detailed accounts together with the impact this has had on them, that we have been able to ensure McMurray has been brought to justice.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th July 2022 
