Vicki Steyert, 37 and a mum-of-two from Wigan in Greater Manchester, is the second person in the country to have a liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. The operation and previous treatment – chemotherapy, targeted treatment, and bowel surgery – mean she’s now cancer free.
She had her cancer treatment at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, a specialist cancer centre in Manchester, and her organ transplant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest transplant centres in the country.
Vicki, who works in pharmacy deployment and has been married to her husband Rob for nine years, went to the doctor when she was pregnant with her second son, Charlie, in the summer of 2020. Her eldest son, Alex, was just four at the time. She noticed that her bowel habits had changed and that there was blood in her poo. She had blood and stool samples taken, the results of which didn’t show anything was wrong.
She was also experiencing frequent urinary tract infections, which continued after giving birth to Charlie, who’s now three. She had a scan of her bladder in May 2021, and the radiographer spotted some abnormalities on her liver by chance.
“They called me back the same day, and then a CT scan and colonoscopy confirmed that I had advanced bowel cancer that had spread to my liver. Charlie was just six weeks old at the time, so the cancer had been there throughout my pregnancy. It’s a miracle I had no complications and a healthy baby,” Vicki says.
“The cancer had been there throughout my pregnancy. It’s a miracle I had no complications and a healthy baby.”
Following her diagnosis, Vicki was referred to The Christie’s local treatment centre in Wigan and was told that, because of the spread of the cancer, her treatment would be palliative.
“I was only 33 and a mum to a newborn and a four-year-old, so even though I had suspected that something was wrong, to be given that news was devastating,” she continues.
Vicki started on chemotherapy and a targeted treatment called panitumumab in August 2021, and her cancer markers, which had initially been at 500, came right down to 3. Her team were so happy with her progress that they wanted to see if she was eligible to have part of her liver removed (a resection) to try and get rid of the cancer.
Unfortunately, after many scans, she was told this wasn’t possible as her cancer had spread too far. She then got a second opinion from a surgeon in Scotland, who confirmed that she wasn’t eligible for a resection but that the NHS was shortly going to be offering liver transplants to certain patients with bowel cancer, and that she might be eligible.
Vicki had to be doing well on treatment for two years before she could be considered for the operation, and she hit this milestone in August 2023. In total, she had around 60 sessions of treatment. She was added to the waiting list in February 2024 and had her surgery at Leeds in the summer.
The team at Leeds is part of a national NHS liver transplant programme for people with non-liver primary cancers and is one of six dedicated centres in the country.
“My team at Leeds didn’t just look after me, they thought about my family as well. They gave me a children’s book so that we could talk to Alex about what was going on. We thought he might be a bit freaked out but loved it and brought it to school to show his friends,” she says.
Unfortunately, her recovery after the operation wasn’t straightforward. The first liver transplant didn’t work, so she had to have an emergency transplant a few days later. She had quite a few complications and ended up in hospital for around four months.
Despite all the challenges she faced, her second surgery was successful, and Vicki’s most recent scans show that she’s still cancer-free. She and her medical team are optimistic about the future.
“When people say that cancer is a rollercoaster, they’re not wrong,” says Vicki. “I’ve been through so many highs and lows throughout this whole experience. Because I was in hospital for so long, I missed the whole summer with my boys and Charlie’s first day of school.
“My team at Leeds didn’t just look after me, they thought about my family as well. They gave me a children’s book so that we could talk to Alex about what was going on.”
My family have been brilliant throughout my recovery. Alex and Charlie were such superstars – both jumping out of their seats to fetch things for me or look after me when I got up. It’s taken a while but I’m getting there. I’ve been enjoying family days out and we’re hoping to go abroad for a holiday in May – the boys are desperate to get back on a plane again.
“I’m so grateful to both families who agreed to donate their loved one’s liver – they’ve given me the greatest gift. I can’t thank my teams at The Christie and Leeds enough for giving me a second chance at life. Dr Marti, my Christie consultant, really listened to me and understood what I needed. I always felt like she was in my corner, which made all the difference. Being able to have my cancer treatment close to home at The Christie at Wigan was also great. The nurses were brilliant and looked after me so well,” Vicki adds.
“It’s brilliant to see that Vicki is now doing so well after everything she’s been through,” comments Dr Kalena Marti, Vicki’s consultant oncologist at The Christie. “Although not everyone with bowel cancer that’s spread to the liver will be able to have a transplant, it’s amazing that we can now offer them to eligible patients who otherwise would have limited treatment options.”
Dr Rebecca Jones, Vicki’s hepatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, comments:
“This program is a new one and still in its early days, but we’re delighted with how Vicki is getting on. Transplantation is successful for most recipients but, when serious complications arise, such as those that Vicki experienced, it can be a long road to recovery. Vicki faced everything with a fortitude, determination and resilience that inspired us all. Everyone who looked after her looks forward to seeing her in the outpatient setting now, hearing of her excursions with her family and watching her return to a more normal life.
“As Vicki’s story clearly shows, organ donation saves lives. It’s important that people sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register and make their decision known to their loved ones. Families will always be consulted on any decisions around organ donation.”
It is quick and easy to join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk