I survived cancer three times and it inspired me to join ambulance service and save others

An emergency medical technician at London Ambulance Service who has beaten the odds and survived cancer three times says she is dedicated to giving back to the NHS that has repeatedly saved her life.

As cancer survivors across the globe come together to raise awareness of the devastating disease on World Cancer Day (4 February), Katherine Murrell, who has beaten cancer three times in 11 years, has shared how the experience made her determined to give back to the NHS in her work for London Ambulance Service.

Katherine, 27, returned to work in early 2024 after undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction in September 2023 following a breast cancer diagnosis.

Having had the latter part of her school years disrupted by cancer, Katherine was unfortunately unable to go to university and therefore left school not knowing what she wanted to do as a career.

Her first interest in paramedicine was sparked after she was rushed to hospital in her late teens by South East Coast Ambulance Service due to a complication of her cancer.

Recalling the incident, she said: “The staff were so incredible. When we got to the hospital, that’s when it really hit me that the medic crew was amazing and how cool it would be do something like that.

“They got to me really quickly and then gave me exactly what I needed. I now know that was just in a day’s work for them, but the care they gave has really stuck with me.”

Katherine as first diagnosed with cancer when she was just 16. She has been cancer free since the end of 2023.

Doctors originally thought her symptoms, including back pain, were due to a trapped nerve. But following drastic weight loss she was referred for blood tests and later the haematology team.

While her peers were preparing for their GCSEs, Katherine’s whole life changed when she was given a diagnosis of stage four lymphoma – a type of blood cancer which affects the immune system.

She underwent six months of gruelling daily chemotherapy and then a month of radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden, where the Princess of Wales was also treated for cancer.

She was given the all clear and has regular check-ups with her doctors to ensure the cancer had not returned.

But seven years later, she noticed a swollen lymph node in her neck and began to worry the cancer had returned. By this time she had started working at London Ambulance Service and was training to become an emergency medical technician (EMT).

The results of a biopsy – which came back the day before her passing out ceremony (the graduation from the EMT course) – showed the lymph nodes and her thyroid were cancerous and would have to be surgically removed.

After the operation she was once again given the all-clear, but a year later a couple of her lymph nodes were found to be on the border of being pre-cancerous and were removed using keyhole surgery.

Because Katherine had received radiotherapy so young, she was at risk of secondary cancers including breast cancer.

To minimise this risk, Katherine decided to have a double mastectomy. As she prepared for this, a tissue sample revealed a very small tumour in her breast. She was diagnosed with cancer for a third time.

Despite all of the health challenges Katherine has survived, she credits her cancer with giving her the  dedication to help others, make a difference, and her drive to help the NHS, which has now saved her life three times.

She said: “I’ve now spent 11 years going to regular hospital appointments time and time again and when you get that used to it, you want to give something back – that’s my mentality I suppose.”

Now she is thriving in her role and has huge aspirations for her time in the Service.

She said: “I’ve probably got 30 years of my career left and so that’s a long time to explore different avenues and opportunities. That’s the big thing with London Ambulance Service (LAS) – there are so many different teams which allow you to do different things. It’s not just a one size fits all. If you want to go and try something – there’s nothing stopping you.”

Despite everything she has faced, Katherine is hugely positive about how her cancer has helped her believe in herself and her ability to help others.

She said: “When I was training I was petrified because I suspected I had thyroid cancer and wondered if I could still work at the Service, as well as wondering if I was going to be alright. Then the breast cancer came along and that really tested me.

“But now, months on from those diagnoses and with an all clear, it has not impacted my career at all. If anything, it’s enhanced it. It has made me acutely aware of my abilities, my empathy and compassion – it’s given me that skill.

“I now use it as a superpower and I’d advise anyone going through a similar situation to try to do the same. I know it’s not easy, but I tried to see the good in the bad, the learnings in those struggles.

“For instance many people would assume that the time I spent sitting in a hospital getting treatment was just a horrible time – but I like to reframe it more positively.

“For me, I got so much exposure to medicine and clinical pathways in that time – I use that knowledge I gained from those experiences every day now. I truly believe it has enriched my learning and work in my current role.”

She added: “Now, any time I go to a cancer patient at work, I am so empathetic – I just get it. It’s a connection I have with these patients – an emotional connection of course, but more than that I have a real understanding of the physical aspects of what they are going through, like the hair loss and everything else. When I see it I literally know what you are going through.

“When I go to patients like that – that’s when the penny drops for me that I’m in the right job. I get this wave of happiness that I’m in the right place, I’m where I belong.

“I come away and I feel like I’ve been able to give someone a little bit of positivity about what they are going through – it’s a strange feeling but it has made me realise I’m definitely in the right path.”

To find out more about a career with London Ambulance Service, visit our vacancies page on our website.