A small lump in his neck turned Richard’s life upside down.
It was October 2024 when Richard, then aged 61, noticed a lump in his neck. A primary school teacher who lives in South Queensferry with his wife and one of his two adult children, Richard wasn’t unduly concerned at first.
After a course of antibiotics failed to shift the lump, he was referred to hospital for a scan and biopsy. About two weeks later, he was diagnosed with cancer, which had spread from the base of his tongue to both sides of his neck.
‘This might seem strange,’ he says, ‘but I was quite relaxed. Having had the scan and biopsy, I was kind of expecting it.’
Richard’s calm acceptance was short lived. ‘I was due to have three teeth taken out because of the inevitable problems that radiation would cause my jaw, and burst into tears before the procedure.’ It was partly the loss of agency he felt, but also the moment when an emotional understanding of what was happening finally landed.
Richard underwent often gruelling treatment
Richard had 30 doses of radiotherapy and 2 doses of chemotherapy in a month.
Richard underwent 30 doses of radiation and 2 blasts of chemotherapy, spread over around 30 days in December 2024 and January 2025. He thinks of the early months of 2025 as the worst of his life. He was unable to get out of bed and eating only liquid food through a tube in his stomach, retching or vomiting after every meal. He lost over 22% of his body weight, which led at one point to him being hospitalised. As a way of coping, he and his wife decided to treat each day in isolation and not think ahead.
In April, the district nurses supplied a morphine driver for a few weeks, easing Richard’s discomfort and allowing him to go downstairs to watch the TV, which was in its small way life changing.
In June, there was a setback after a test highlighted some worrying indicators and a number of lymph nodes were removed from Richard’s neck. Fortunately, they turned out to be benign and his recovery resumed. Later that month, the feeding tube was finally taken out of his stomach, some seven months after it had been inserted.
There then followed an intensive course of swallowing and speaking physiotherapy, two abilities that Richard had taken for granted before treatment, but now needed to re-learn.
Throughout his journey, music (he’s a New Model Army fan) and his beloved Manchester City have helped. The thought of returning to work also sustained him. In October 2025, Richard finally went back, part-time only, with a microphone to aid his voice. At first, teaching was exhausting, but slowly it became more manageable. He’s hoping to return again in August 2026 for one last year, again part-time, before he retires. As he puts it, ‘I want to retire on my terms, not cancer’s.’
Richard turned to Cancer Coach to help him adjust to his new life
He turned to Cancer Coach because he felt the need to ‘grieve the old Richard, and accept the new one’. He thinks about the person after radiotherapy who couldn’t move, was retching, and unable to walk more than 10 metres without stopping, and feels gratitude for where he is now. ‘I have found more peace.’
It has helped him find other positives – his weight loss means all his shirts fit again, and he no longer worries about things that were once important. He started to build goals. He’s back at the gym, painting most days and is working on a return to his local Parkrun. He’s also determined to find a way to support others enduring their own cancer journey.
Richard takes pleasure from simple things each day (a bee, a perfect cup of tea, a New Model Army album) so he remains rooted in the present, not the past or future. He believes that Cancer Coach was and is a great anchor, one that helps ground him.
‘I also try to appreciate what could have happened rather than what actually happened. I survived when many don’t. I’ve managed to go back to work when many don’t, especially in jobs that require a lot of speaking, like teaching. I feel lucky now’.
Richard’s recovery brought unexpected moments of joy and emotion
Richard on a visit to East Berlin
His recovery has brought unexpected moments of joy and emotion. In April 2026, he was in Lanzarote on holiday, and ordered a chicken korma. Eating it brought tears to his eyes. ‘It was the first time I’d enjoyed food since December 2024.’
It’s been an exhausting, uncomfortable and at times painful journey, but Richard is doing well now. He has regular twelve-week check-ups, and the team are pleased with his progress.
He recommends Cancer Coach to anyone who’s finished their treatment. ‘It gave me permission to grieve the old Richard and establish some attainable goals. As a result of our discussions, all the members of the group found one positive focus from their illness, and a positive way to move forwards.’
