In the UK, 1 in 2 people born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime. This means that cancer has likely affected you or someone you know. Thanks in part to Cancer Research UK, the survival rate for cancer in the UK has doubled over the past 40 years, with new treatments benefitting millions of lives.
Gifts in Wills provide an important foundation for Cancer Research UK as they allow the charity to continue researching and discovering new treatments for cancer. By leaving a gift in your Will, you can fund groundbreaking research into cancer prevention, detection and treatment.
Linda’s story
Linda Davies knows first-hand the effects cancer can have on a family and the importance of funding research.
“My son Jeremy was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was just 26. He was about to get married and was going to be a father too,” she says. “He had surgery a week before his wedding and went on his honeymoon not knowing the severity of that cancer, or if he would need chemotherapy on his return. That was 19 years ago, and he and his wife now have two children.”
“Since then, my dad has died from cancer, and my husband Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago. All three experiences are the reasons we need to support research.” Linda explains.
“… leaving a legacy feels like a very positive way of doing something about it (cancer). It means we can be optimistic about future diagnosis and treatment.”
Linda
Linda has pledged to leave a legacy in her Will, which she sees as a “celebration of the progress that has been made by research, while also recognising that more work needs to be done.” Linda adds: “After Jeremy’s treatment, I wanted to say, “Thank you”. He had benefited from the research, treatment and training, which had taken place before his diagnosis. I wanted to help pass that gift on to others in the future so they could benefit in the same way. Going through cancer can be such a traumatic and dark time for a family, but leaving a legacy feels like a very positive way of doing something about it. It means we can be optimistic about future diagnosis and treatment.”
“I can’t do the research myself, but I stand alongside the researchers, and I am part of the progress that is being made. When I hear a news story about research breakthroughs or survival, I feel involved. I get much out of supporting and seeing where the money goes. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.”
Life-saving discoveries
Cancer Research UK played an important role in the development of cisplatin in the 1970s. This drug has had a major impact on the treatment of advanced testicular cancer. Since then, scientists funded by Cancer Research UK have also helped to develop carboplatin, a less toxic alternative to cisplatin and the most widely prescribed cancer drug on the NHS. This drug is now used to treat patients with ovarian, head, neck, and lung cancer, as well as children with cancer.
Linda’s son Jeremy is just one example of how research has helped transform lives.
91% of men diagnosed with testicular cancer in England, now survive their disease for 10 years or more.
How you can help
Gifts in Wills fund a third of Cancer Research UK’s important work. When someone like Linda leaves a legacy, it allows the charity to plan and invest in long-term research projects and make life-saving discoveries.
The impact of this pioneering research funded by pledgers will be felt for generations to come. Find out how you can help by requesting a Gifts in Wills Guide below.
This content is sponsored by Cancer Research UK
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Tags: Cancer Research UK Last modified: March 6, 2023
