St Helier patient shares his story for Stand Up To Cancer

A karate teacher who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma four years ago says he approaches the cancer exactly how he would an opponent – by fighting.

Julius is currently receiving maintenance treatment at St Helier Hospital, where he describes the care as “absolutely fantastic”. Prior to this, he underwent stem cell therapy at the Royal Marsden, which unfortunately failed to work.

Despite this being a “very low point”, Julius was determined not to give up, and now the former Sutton resident has shared his story with Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer to explain his outlook on life.

“You need to think positively. I wasn’t going to let my body go into thinking: ‘I’m ill’. Instead I said: ‘I’m going to beat this’.

“I have the same advice for cancer patients as I do my karate students: fight!”

Julius, who has now moved to Maidstone in Kent, continues to teach karate in Epsom in a supervisory role, and also still enjoys his classic-car hobby.

“I haven’t stopped doing what I normally do, and this is what has kept me strong,” he said.

“After the treatment failed, I remember lying in bed, thinking, I’ll never go to Le Mans (the annual sports car race) again. And then I thought, ‘I will go again’. And I did, this year and last year. And I’ll be going next year, too.”

Julius was full of praise for the care he has received at St Helier, as well as previously at the Royal Marsden.

Speaking about the team at St Helier, he said: “They’ve been absolutely brilliant, wonderful. Whenever I’ve been concerned about something, they’ve acted very quickly.

“I can’t fault them. I feel like I could ring up and talk to them about anything.”

You can watch Julius story here.

A diagnosis of cancer can be challenging and can affect physical and emotional wellbeing. No one person is the same, and you may have a different way of dealing with yours or a loved one’s illness. To find out more about support that is available at Epsom and St Helier, click here.