Patient advocate and campaigner Lesley Stephen awarded MBE

"We believe around 60,000 women and men are living with metastatic breast cancer in the UK, and I’m one of those. But I’m also one of the lucky ones, and thanks to a fantastic oncology team, determination, luck and an array of drugs and other treatments I’m still here 11 years on from my de novo diagnosis. 

Recently I spoke at the recent ABS Conference in Birmingham about living with the disease, and the physical, psychological and financial challenges MBC patients face. I also talked about the game changer for me which was accessing a phase 1 clinical trial, which I stayed on for 7 years. 

The trial gave me extra years of life I didn’t expect, and enabled me to become a patient advocate speaking on behalf of women who often feel they don’t have a voice and are forgotten. In that time I have campaigned for new and kinder treatments, easier access to clinical trials, worked with charities like BCN, CRUK, ICPV and to become a trustee for Make 2nds Count (a growing charity which only supports MBC patients).

Along with the charity, in the last few years I have pioneered several services for MBC patients-both firsts in the UK. A trial matching service where we have just supported our 1000th patient, and a patient only medical conference. At the conference in 2024 we hosted over 100 patients in person, 400 online and had 16 expert speakers. We are running the event again in mid June, and hope to make it annual. 

Thanks to the patient advocacy work I was delighted to receive an MBE in the recent Kings Honours List, for Services to Secondary Breast Cancer and Cancer Research. It’s great to have patient advocacy work acknowledged in this way, and I hope to continue to help empower, educate and give hope to MBC patients for several years to come (if the drugs allow!)."

- Lesley Stephen MBE