A LOCAL cancer survivor is starring in a new nationwide awareness campaign to help beat the disease for future generations.
Liz Roberts, 77, from Penarth started supporting Cancer Research UK almost 30 years ago after her youngest brother died of leukaemia when he was just 37. The former GP receptionist said losing her brother, Clive, was the “hammer blow” which inspired her to join her local Cancer Research UK fundraising committee in Penarth.
Liz has thrown herself into fundraising and is known locally as the “jam lady” after making around 10,000 jars of jam to raise funds. She also went through her own cancer experience after being diagnosed with melanoma 22 years ago. She was successfully treated after minor surgery to remove the cancer from her back.
Now, the grandmother-of-three is proud to be supporting Cancer Research UK’s new legacy giving campaign to help beat cancer for generations to come.
Liz appears in a moving short film (clip below) backing a call for people to support life-saving research by leaving a gift to the charity in their Will.
Gifts in Wills fund a third of Cancer Research UK’s work, which has helped double cancer survival in the UK. But Liz says there’s an urgent need to accelerate progress
She said: “One of the ways I help out is by making jam. I have made around 10,000 jars of jams, marmalades and chutneys over the years and my kitchen looks like a production line. I’m known locally as the ‘jam lady’ – which makes me smile.”
Liz says the disease affected her life in many ways: “I was diagnosed with skin cancer after finding a crusty mole on my back. I was referred straight away by my GP and, luckily, it was removed with minor surgery and I didn’t need any further treatment,” said Liz.
“My nephew sadly died from sarcoma last year. He was only 41. Many of my friends have also been affected by the disease. As I always say, I want my grandchildren to grow up in a world where cancer isn’t such a scary word.”
Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, Cancer Research UK spent around £4 million in Wales last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.
Liz added: “Advances in research mean people are being diagnosed earlier, have access to kinder and more effective treatments and some cancers are prevented completely. I’ve pledged to leave a gift in my Will for Cancer Research UK, and I hope by sharing my story, more people will feel encouraged to support the charity.”
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Wales, Ruth Amies, said: “We’re grateful to Liz for helping to raise awareness. Our scientists have played a role in around half of the world’s essential cancer drugs, led the development of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and paved the way for targeted treatments.
“We’re working towards a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer and gifts in Wills are vital to making this a reality.”
Support the future of cancer research at: cruk.org/giftsinwills
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