Derbyshire’s film diary to lay bare cancer therapy
A BBC presenter who is recovering from breast cancer has released video footage of her first chemotherapy session with the aim of demystifying the treatment for viewers.
Victoria Derbyshire, who will return to her mid-morning BBC Two programme today, is shown receiving a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs while wearing an artificially cooled cap to help prevent hair loss.
The journalist, 47, who had a mastectomy in September, said that the treat- ment itself felt “absolutely all right”, but that the cold cap had left her with ice in her hair and a hangover-like headache. She also said she was following medical advice not to wash or brush her hair, to try to prevent it falling out.
Appearing on camera inside her hospital treatment room, she said: “In the build up to this first session of chemotherapy, I have been feeling quite vexed and anxious and apprehensive, because it’s a fear of the unknown. How is it going to affect me?”
In a series of updates filmed in the days after receiving her first of six bouts of chemotherapy, Derbyshire recounted how the treatment had left her feeling “lethargic, with no motivation to do anything”.
In one message, she said: “It’s been six days since the first chemotherapy session and the way it has just drained my body has made feel a bit low. You can feel alert and normal for a couple of hours, and then suddenly, this wave of tiredness just hits you and you just have to go to bed.
“I have to say, that makes me feel disconsolate. There are five more sessions to go, and this time will pass, and that is something for me to hold on to.”
Derbyshire also filmed herself injecting her stomach with white blood cells to help boost her immune system.
In one scene, in which she walks her dog in fields, she reflects on how the chemotherapy will affect her. “I’m under no illusions. I know as chemo goes on, things will get a little bit worse, but so far, so good,” she said.
Cancer charities have praised the presenter for helping to give hope to other patients.
Dr Emma Smith, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “When celebrities like Victoria talk publicly about their experiences of cancer, it can have a positive impact and might help patients who are going through the same kind of journey.
“It’s important to continue raising awareness of the disease and dispelling some of the myths around it.”
Derbyshire has previously released a video filmed after her mastectomy, and she has promised to continue to document her treatment.