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Lucy CookeBritish writer, film director, television presenter and zoologist
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Lucy Cook
Lucy Cook, a British writer, filmmaker, television presenter, and zoologist, credits her show 'Amazing Animal Births' with helping her overcome a cruel illness. Dubbed the 'new David Attenborough', Lucy Cook has traveled across the United Kingdom to witness incredible events, from the birth of lambs in the spring and the hatching of alligators to the expansion of the orangutan family in the Wild Nature Park on Jersey Island.
In her new show 'Amazing Animal Births', Lucy Cook shares her adventures, which were accompanied by a real human drama behind the scenes. The filming of the project began two years after Lucy, now a 46-year-old resident of London, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She says, "I can tell at which stage my cancer was during each episode of the show, especially in the episodes where I lost weight. But I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved."
Everything started in April 2015 when Lucy went to America with a friend. American doctors discovered an irregular-shaped lump on the zoologist's right breast. Ironically, her friend had recently had a benign tumor removed. Upon her return to the UK, Lucy was reassured by her doctor that such lumps are usually cysts. Just to be safe, she underwent a mammogram at a hospital in East London before leaving for Zimbabwe to film. In May 2015, upon her return, Lucy received terrible news. The radiographer studied her mammogram and ultrasound and unexpectedly mentioned cancer. She underwent a biopsy under local anesthesia, with tissue from the lump being collected for examination. Lucy, who was single at the time, was told to return to the hospital in a couple of weeks for the results and to bring friends along.
When her worst fears were confirmed, Lucy gathered her strength and did not give up on her upcoming work on ITV's show 'Amazing Animal Births'. She requested a pathology report to learn more about her condition but was denied. So she sought a second opinion from Professor Mo Keshtgar at a hospital in North London. In June 2016, she underwent a lumpectomy under general anesthesia to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue. Her surgeon also performed a biopsy of the sentinel lymph node. This technique involves injecting blue dye near the tumor to identify the sentinel lymph node, one of the lymph nodes under the armpit that cancer cells can spread to first. Surgeons use a device to locate these nodes, which change color due to the dye, and make a 1-1.3 cm incision in the skin to remove the nodes. The pathologist then checks the sentinel node for cancer cells. A negative result means that the cancer has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or organs, while a positive result helps the doctor determine the stage of cancer and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
Lucy stated, "They found a tiny cancer spot, a micrometastasis. My tumor was considered borderline, but as a precaution, they removed 18 lymph nodes. Then the question arose whether I should undergo chemotherapy." She had to inform ITV about her condition since if her hair started falling out during filming, she would need a wig to maintain a consistent appearance throughout the show. They also had to determine if she could undergo chemotherapy between shoots if necessary.
"For the organizers, it was a nightmare, so at the time, when only one part of the show had been filmed out of six, it could have been easily canceled. But the people around me were on my side. They were just amazing."
Lucy continued, "I was in complete despair, and my friend just took me by the hand and took me to Cornwall for a few days so that I could come to terms with the situation. Eventually, I decided that I would succeed and not back down."
From Professor Keshtgar, she learned about the 'Oncotype DX' test, which examines the behavior of cancer cells. The test provides a likelihood of recurrence ranging from 0 to 100. The lower the number, the lower the risk of recurrence. People with higher scores undergo chemotherapy, while those with lower scores do not.
'Oncotype DX' has not yet gained widespread use or support from the UK's National Health Service, so Lucy had to pay £3000 out of her own pocket. The results were obtained two weeks later.
"I was asked not to get my hopes up," recalls Lucy, "so at this stage, I mentally prepared myself for chemotherapy. I changed my diet to vegetarian, started drinking juices, stopped consuming alcohol, eliminated dairy products and sugar, and lost over 6.5 kg. Ironically, people told me how great I looked."
When it was time to learn the results, the doctor started from a distance and said that he rarely delivers good news to his patients. However, Lucy was the exception. They explained that she could do without chemotherapy and instead undergo radiation therapy five times a week for five weeks.
This less invasive method was expected to be sufficient to eradicate any stray cancer cells. Additionally, the patient was prescribed the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen.
Currently, Lucy sees an oncologist every three months.
"I have always been extremely careless about my health," Lucy admits. "I have never been sick, and there was no cancer in my family. I ended up in the embrace of death from which I was able to escape."
"Undoubtedly, after what happened, I appreciate my life more than ever before. For the first time, I realized that taking a break is normal, and that I don't have to work myself to exhaustion. I discovered the ability to relax and enjoy life, whether it's a walk in the park or having lunch with a friend."
