High note for brave medical student

Jan 12 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

A YOUNG woman who fought bone cancer is to be on the judging panel of an innovative North-East music competition aimed at raising funds for teenage cancer victims.

Rachel Drew, 20, of Darras Hall, Ponteland, is using her own three-year battle with the disease to help raise £1m towards a new teenage cancer unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The former Ponteland High School pupil could not walk without crutches after having part of her right leg bone removed and replaced with a metal rod.

She has undergone two skin grafts and nine months of chemotherapy – losing her hair and missing so much school she had to re-sit a year.

But the determined young woman has been in remission for two years and her illness has inspired her to study to become a doctor.

Now the Sheffield University medicine student is going to be judging her peers in a North-East X-factor style music competition Music Means Life to raise money for the new unit.

“I think it is brilliant money is being raised for teenagers with cancer and this competition involves the internet and music which is what our age group is interested in.

“Everyone can be involved in the competition whether it is taking part or listening to the music.

“It will give teenagers whose lives haven’t been touched by cancer an understanding of what that means.”

Music Means Life will be officially launched next week and will start taking entries via the internet from unsigned North-East musicians aged from 12 to 21 from next month, culminating with finals held in April. It will be judged by those who have fought cancer as a teenager.

Rachel was first diagnosed with a tumour when she was 15 after she started to have pains in her leg. That was removed and turned out to be benign but the pains returned and a second tumour was cancerous. She had further surgery when the metal rod in her leg came loose and she was on crutches for over seven months.

But she has since thrown them away and is swimming to regain her fitness at university.

“I feel that becoming a doctor is definitely what I am supposed to be doing. I think having been through it myself puts me in a good position to help others with my experience.”