'I'm a Leeds mum with incurable cancer - and my 200-mile challenge could change my life'

A Leeds mum living with stage 4 Kidney cancer has planned a 200-mile Coast to Coast walking challenge this July to help her fundraise for potentially life-saving treatment in Germany.

Nicola Chapman, 45, who lives in Leeds, was diagnosed in May 2022 with a rare type of kidney cancer, which, despite NHS treatment, had unfortunately spread to her lungs by January 2024 and was deemed incurable.

Nicola has planned a 200-mile Coast to Coast walking challenge this July, which she hopes will help her fundraise for potentially life-saving treatment in Germany, which is not currently available in the UK.

Nicola said: “Receiving a cancer diagnosis changes your life overnight. While I’m incredibly grateful for the care and treatment I’ve received through the NHS, I’ve also been exploring additional therapies that could improve my length and quality of life. The personalised vaccine treatment being developed in Germany offers hope, but at a cost well beyond my means.”

There are clinical trials for similar treatments coming up in the UK, but not specifically for Nicola’s rare type of kidney cancer, which has since spread to her lungs.

Nicola said: “Luckily, my cancer in the lungs has been very slow-growing, so I've had two years of thinking about how I wanted to proceed. I was looking at, well, what can I add? What is there that they're developing, either in the UK or abroad or on the horizon, that would be more effective to go alongside the immunotherapy, and that's when I started reading about personalised cancer vaccines.”

The personalised vaccine treatment is designed specifically for individual patients and works alongside standard NHS cancer therapies by helping the immune system recognise and target cancer cells more effectively.

Nicola said: “I can't afford to wait; I need to go in private, and at the minute that looks like going to Germany.”

She plans to start the walk in St Bees in Cumbria at the start of July, finishing at Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire by the end of the month. This Coast to Coast route made famous by Alfred Wainwright, was recently designated a National Trail. The challenge will see her cross the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.

Nicola said: “I lived in Chapel Allerton whilst raising my daughter, who is now 18 and preparing to go to university herself. I want to be around to see her graduate and well beyond.

“Walking 200 miles across the country feels like a positive way to raise awareness while hopefully raising the funds needed, and is a challenge I’m able to rise to while still feeling reasonably fit. I know times are difficult for many people, so any support — whether through donations, encouragement or simply sharing the fundraiser — will mean a huge amount to me and my family.”

The walk will take place over three weekends in July, the first leg will kick off in the Lake District, walking 60 miles from St Bees to Shap, from July 3-6. The second weekend (July 11-13) will see Nicola walk the Yorkshire Dales from Shap to Richmond, taking on 58 miles, whilst the longest leg will see her trek the North York Moors from July 17 - 20, walking 78 miles from Richmond to Robin Hood’s Bay.

Supporters will be able to follow Nicola’s progress next month via social media updates and are also encouraged to get in involved in any way they can, from simply sharing her story online to offering her a “ham sandwich” if they live along the route.

Nicola is also encouraging corporate sponsors to get involved to help her reach her target and has praised her local community in Chapel Allerton, who have offered support and help throughout her journey.

She said: “There’s a lot of kind-hearted, supportive people out there that will step up and make you feel like there's hope for the future, and that's what I've really kind of taken away from this whole journey, is the amount of people who I don't know who've reached out and contributed.”

Nicola also hopes the 200-mile walk will help raise awareness of kidney cancer and highlight the need for research into rare forms of the disease.

She said: “There are a lot of people with kidney cancer; it's becoming more and more common now, especially in young people under the age of 40, and with my type as well, the research really isn't there, which is why I want to publicise what I'm doing to hopefully bring awareness to the situation.”

You can find out more about Nicola’s 200-mile challenge on her website at NicKicksOutCancer.Org, donate to her GoFundMe or follow her journey on Instagram.