Ricky's Story
Meet my gorgeous husband Ricky — told in Nicola's own words.
Ricky was a black 48-year-old, fit and healthy guy. He served for more than 16 years as a firefighter at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. In March 2018 he started to get a dull ache in his left testicle. His first visit to his GP resulted in a course of antibiotics for a suspected infection (Epididymitis). A week later he had developed bloating of the abdomen, loss of appetite and worsening pain, so the GP prescribed a different antibiotic — but this still didn't help.
In the following weeks, Ricky started to lose weight and developed more discomfort and pain in the left flank. He also developed a dry cough. By the end of April 2018, his GP had referred him for further investigations — the first being an ultrasound scan. Whilst waiting for the results, his symptoms got worse and he ended up in A&E at The Royal Oldham Hospital. He was given painkillers and discharged, and began the long journey of different tests at different hospitals.
At this time Ricky was still working and fighting fires on the Saddleworth Moors. Little did we know he was also battling the biggest fight of his life, Renal Medullary Carcinoma (RMC). The pain was becoming worse and spreading into his left flank and stomach. Sadly this eventually resulted in Ricky being told to stop working on the moors fire, and he was sent home. He never returned to work again.
During July 2018, we were informed that the ultrasound scan had picked up a mass on the left kidney and in the lung. He was initially diagnosed with suspected Lymphoma, but at the first appointment the Haematology Consultant was not convinced and referred him back to Urology. He was then under Urology and Respiratory for more tests, including CT scans and biopsies. A bronchoscopy and a biopsy from his neck confirmed a cancer which definitely was not Lymphoma — but they didn't know where the primary tumour was. This was a really frustrating and frightening time for us, waiting anxiously for results before they could even consider starting treatment.
At the end of July 2018, the doctors agreed that the primary cancer was in the kidney but the tumour was too large and too dangerous to operate on. The only option for Ricky was chemotherapy that would work throughout the whole of the body. Whilst waiting for his appointment we received more bad news — they couldn't confirm the primary was in the kidney, and were now going to treat Ricky for an unknown primary. After a Multi-Disciplinary Meeting he was booked for an emergency kidney biopsy. Two weeks later the biopsy confirmed RMC.
RMC didn't mean anything to us. All I knew was that our world had fallen apart, and that this was a very rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer. This was now August 2018, five months after Ricky's initial visit to his GP. At the first appointment at The Christie with the Renal Consultant, Dr Tom Waddell, we received the devastating news that Ricky's cancer was already Stage 4. Our options were limited, but Ricky was willing to start the three-drug chemotherapy combination he was offered (Cisplatin, Gemcitabine and Paclitaxel). Treatment commenced at the end of August 2018. Ricky was amazing and dealt with the chemotherapy really well — always smiling, always positive. In Ricky's words, this was “just a blip”.
After the first few cycles Ricky had great results — the tumours were shrinking. This was amazing news and he was keen to carry on. In the following cycles he struggled more with the side effects, and his initial symptoms began to creep back in. The chemotherapy did not seem to be as effective, and treatment was deferred several times.
Prior to Ricky's diagnosis we had got engaged and were due to be married in September 2019. We took the opportunity, while he was feeling relatively well, to bring our wedding forward — and we were married on 16th December 2018.
In January 2019 Dr Waddell felt it was time to stop chemotherapy to give Ricky a break and a chance to recover. He told us of a drug called Bortezomib which, unfortunately, was unavailable on the NHS. He submitted a funding request to NHS England, but there was no guarantee. Once Ricky's close friends heard, they did not hesitate to start fundraising to raise the money for the drug. It was overwhelming that our friends, family and community came together to help us so much.
During this time we took the decision to have our honeymoon. It was Ricky's wish to go to the Maldives, so that's what we did. It was a scary time, but it left me with so many happy memories and made Ricky's dream come true. On our return we received news that the funding for the drug had been declined — there was not enough evidence to prove it would work to treat RMC.
Ricky's pain increased and he began struggling with breathing and everyday tasks. He developed a serious fungal lung infection (PCP) which is very hard to treat for people with a weakened immune system. He was admitted, discharged, and readmitted as his condition worsened. I was by his side 24/7 on a fold-up bed in a small room for weeks, watching him deteriorate but always hoping for a miracle. Ricky was a fighter throughout and never gave up hope. I could not have been more proud of his strength and determination. He always said we were stronger together, and that we would beat this.
Ricky died in my arms on 1st May 2019 at 2.40pm.
Can you help us?
We rely on your donations to continue our important work, and we welcome any offers of your valuable time.
If you are a medical professional and feel that you can help us — or that we can help you — with research into rare renal cancers, we would love to hear from you.