Lizzie during her treatment
My Vet Degree Helped Me Combat Cancer
6 years ago 
3937 views
Following a nine month battle with a rare form of cancer, 31 year old vet credits her veterinary training with helping her navigate a string of life-changing decisions and ultimately saving her life. She’s calling on the profession to celebrate the versatility of their veterinary skills. She will share her story for the first time at the Hertfordshire BVA Young Vet Network CPD launch evening on 10th October.
Lizzie Erian-Round, Veterinary Healthcare Consultant at Pegasus, was diagnosed this January with stage 4 adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) after a lump developed on her hard palate. ACC is a rare and aggressive form of cancer, with no known risk factors.
Lizzie describes her initial reaction on receiving the diagnosis: “Initially I thought I’d just burnt my mouth on some hot cheese - it was almost surreal to hear the ‘C-word’ (‘cancer’, not ‘cheese’). It’s a cliché but you really don’t expect it to happen to you, especially when you’re an otherwise healthy 30 year old.”
“However, I amazed myself (and the consultant I think) at how quickly I jumped into ‘vet mode’. There were no tears, I wasn’t lost for words - I just began asking a logical series of questions about next steps.”
Having worked in animal health communications for years, Lizzie is no stranger to applying her veterinary training outside of clinical practice and has long been an advocate for the transferable skills it teaches. However, she hadn’t appreciated just how invaluable they might be throughout her ordeal:
“My ituation was so rare that there was no ‘best practice’ approach – just a variety of treatment options with drastically different potential consequences. Each doctor had a different opinion and ultimately it was up to me collate all the information and make the decisions. So I applied my best clinical reasoning, research and analytical skills at each stage. This actually unlocked a new combination of treatment options, changing my prognosis from poor to positive.”
Lizzie ended up having multiple surgeries, including the removal and reconstruction of half of her maxilla and hard palate as well as going abroad for a grueling two month course of proton beam radiation. She’s now back home and recovering better than expected, most importantly with her positive outlook still intact.
Lizzie believes that the softer skills cultivated through her veterinary training, such as resilience, communication and the art of maintaining a sense of humour through tough times, were also key in helping her triumph through treatment. Not to mention the kindness and support she’s received from the vet community and her colleagues at Pegasus which she describes as being “extraordinary”.
“I’ve always believed that the veterinary degree is a powerful springboard for just about any career path you wish to carve out for yourself. Now I appreciate more acutely the variety of ways these skills can enrich our personal lives too – something which I think we could actively recognise more often.”
Lizzie hopes to inspire others by joining the panel of speakers at the first ever Hertfordshire BVA Young Vet Network CPD event on 10th October at the Royal Veterinary College, titled: ‘Get creative with your vet degree’.
The speakers will share their experience of a variety of clinical and non-clinical roles. The informal evening, which will include an opportunity for networking (and free pizza) is open to all students and recently graduated vets (2010 or later). For more information or to RSVP for the event please follow ‘BVA Hertfordshire Young Vet Network’ on Facebook, or email [email protected]
Lizzie’s colleagues have set up the “Team Lizzie” fund. The team have carried out daring challenges such as abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower and running the Berlin marathon. So far the team have managed to raise over £8,000 for Lizzie via her JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/teamlizzie
More from Pegasus
- “We do not feel valued as a profession during the COVID-19 crisis”, say veterinary professionals - New survey reveals
- Is it all change for vets from now on? Have your say. Request for veterinary professionals to share their COVID-19 experience by Tuesday 30th June.
- Animal health marketing should not be business as usual, say veterinary professionals
- Request for vet professionals to share their COVID-19 experience by Weds 8th April
- Over 50% of vets and vet nurses in the dark when quizzed on managing pain in guinea pigs
11 hours ago