'Sister's incurable cancer inspired life change '

Ten years ago, Mel de Lange was a busy working mum, running a market intelligence agency while also bringing up her two children. Then, in 2016, came the devastating news that her older sister Becca's breast cancer had not only returned but was incurable.

It proved to be life-changing for both siblings, motivating Mel to start a journey in health research.

Now, seven years after her sister's death, Mel is a PhD graduate and working to help doctors identify other patients who might have cancer.

Mel from Malmesbury, Wiltshire, said Becca had already had breast cancer in 2012, but the return of the disease came out of the blue.

She told John Darvall on BBC Radio Bristol: "It was a complete shock, she looked completely healthy. She was 39, she had just got engaged, she was getting her life back on track after having breast cancer the first time around, so we did not expect it at all."

Her sister's terminal diagnosis prompted Mel to reassess her life and career. She said she wanted to do something practical to help people in the same situation as Becca.

So, she enrolled on a part-time Master's degree in Health Research at the University of Bristol while continuing to run her business and raise her children.

Mel said her sister had been excited about her return to university, but a few months after her studies began, Becca died.

"She was really proud and she knew why I was doing it. The first essay I wrote was on breast cancer and I wrote it for her. So, yeah, I think she was proud," she said.

The Master's led on to a PhD in Epidemiology and in July this year Mel graduated.

But alongside the personal triumph, there was more heartbreak for Mel's family when her mother-in-law Janet also died from breast cancer.

Mel, 47, said the last decade has left her with a clear purpose. She wants to do research that will speed up the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer.

She's now using her skills in her current role at Queen Mary University of London to develop digital tools to help GPs decide if patients are likely to have cancer and if they need to be referred for further tests.

Mel said it's "all about trying to help people live for longer and have a better quality of life".

Reflecting on how she's changed personally over the last 10 years, Mel believes she's become braver and more fearless, something her sister would have been surprised by.

"I still get scared but I do things anyway. I think she'd be quite surprised quite how far I've come."

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