Reader TTS

A woman who was diagnosed with cancer an astonishing three times revealed how her first symptom was initially dismissed as a trapped nerve. Katherine Murrell, 27, from Tunbridge Wells in

Kent, has shared her extraordinary journey, which also led her to a career in the ambulance service. Katherine first experienced back pain at the age of 16, which doctors initially thought

was no cause for concern. However, after significant weight loss, she was referred for blood tests and later to the haematology team. At an age when most teenagers are focused on their

GCSEs, Katherine's life took a dramatic turn. She was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma – a type of blood cancer that affects the immune system. Katherine underwent six months of

intense daily chemotherapy followed by a month of radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. After receiving the all-clear, she had regular check-ups to ensure the cancer

hadn't returned. But seven years later, she noticed a swollen lymph node in her neck and feared the cancer had come back. By this point, Katherine was working at the London Ambulance

Service and training to become an emergency medical technician (EMT). The results of a biopsy, which arrived the day before her graduation, revealed that the lymph nodes and her thyroid were

cancerous and needed to be surgically removed. After her initial surgery, she was declared cancer-free, but a subsequent year brought alarming news when pre-cancerous conditions were

detected in some of her lymph nodes, which were then extracted via keyhole surgery. Recounting her experience, she said: "When I was training, I was petrified because I suspected I had

thyroid cancer and wondered if I could still work at the service, as well as wondering if I was going to be alright. Then the breast cancer came along and that really tested me."

Katherine, who now lives in Great Dunmow, Essex, was warned that early exposure to radiotherapy increased her risk for secondary cancers like breast cancer. To mitigate this, she chose to

have a double mastectomy. It was during the lead-up to this procedure that testing revealed a tumour, which constituted her third encounter with cancer. In the face of these challenges,

Katherine's drive to support the NHS was reinforced by her battles with the disease. She said: "I’ve now spent 11 years going to regular hospital appointments time and time again

and when you get that used to it, you want to give something back – that’s my mentality I suppose." Katherine is thriving in her role and has set her sights high for her future within

the service. "Months on from those diagnoses and with an all-clear, it has not impacted my career at all. If anything, it’s enhanced it," she said. "It has made me acutely

aware of my abilities, my empathy and compassion – it’s given me that skill. "I now use it as a superpower and I’d advise anyone going through a similar situation to try to do the same.

I know it’s not easy, but I tried to see the good in the bad, the learnings in those struggles." She expressed deep appreciation for the paramedic team that came to her aid during a

critical episode caused by cancer complications when she was in her late teens. "The staff were so incredible," she said. "When we got to the hospital, that’s what really hit

me—that the medic crew was amazing and how cool it would be to do something like that. They got to me really quickly and then gave me exactly what I needed. "I now know that was just in

a day’s work for them, but the care they gave has really stuck with me." Katherine was declared cancer-free at the end of 2023.