Nicola Hodkinson, Christie supporter and former patient

When Nicola was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2019, she began her treatment at The Christie straight away, receiving chemotherapy and targeted therapy, followed by surgery and further radiotherapy over a seven-month period.

Thankfully in September 2019, Nicola was declared cancer-free. She is once again enjoying life with her husband and two grown-up sons – walking and mountain biking.

Nicola is also still able to work as a Director at Seddon, a construction firm who have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for The Christie charity over many years.

While Nicola is grateful for the treatment she received, she admits that the distance was a strain on her. The 20-mile commute to get her treatment, from her home in Macclesfield to our Withington site, took its toll. Traffic meant that it could take up to an hour, every single day.

Nicola’s mum and husband Simon took turns to drive her, but the distance meant that friends couldn’t come without taking time off work. She recalls having no idea how other patients coped who had to arrange childcare every day.

Now, Nicola is determined for others to get the same care that saved her life, closer to home. That’s why she’s supporting our campaign to bring ground-breaking cancer care to The Christie Cancer Centre in Macclesfield.

“The Christie is not a normal hospital. It doesn’t feel like one. It’s uniqueness comes from its values and the teams who dedicate every day to making a patient’s cancer a bit more bearable.”
“I met some really good people while getting treatment, but some of them lived nowhere near me. At a new centre with a much smaller catchment area, people’s support networks could be so much stronger.”

  - Nicola Hodkinson

Please donate today towards the build of The Christie cancer care centre at Macclesfield.