Why We Do What We Do - Part III

An interview with John Edgar from North Kilworth Wharf

I had mentally prepared myself - I am just the type to think, ‘ok - this is what I have to do, so let’s get started’.

“It is the biggest emotional rollercoaster I’ve ever been on." 

Hope Ambassador Alice Greaves wins the Furnley House Community Champions Award for Fundraiser of the Year

We recently met Ian for a coffee at the RVS café at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, his wife Ellena is coming to the end of a trial at the Hope Cancer Trials Centre and he is in remission having received treatment for prostate cancer at the Osborne Building. Ian generously donates to HOPE and wanted to share their story with us .

On 1 st September thousands of runners took part in the London Big Half Marathon. Among the crowds were 18 incredible people taking part to raise money for Hope Against Cancer. The 13.1 mile course took the runners on a journey across London starting at Tower Bridge and ending at the iconic Cutty Sark in Greenwich. The event began at 8.25am with the start of the elite wheelchair race. This was closely followed by the elite runners and then the first mass wave. Dame Kelly Holmes led the elite runners off the start line. HOPE’s own Corporate and Community Partnerships Manager, Tim Gorman-Powell, ran in elite group A… Tim said, “I’m not sure how or why I found myself in that group but I enjoyed running alongside the best of the best for the short time I did so!” The sun was shining and spirits were high. The atmosphere was amazing as thousands of friends and family roared on the 10,000+ runners through the streets of London. The finish line was packed with spectators and reverberated to the loud music playing over the PA system. Tim concludes that it was “an incredible event from start to finish, with a great atmosphere and a beautiful route through the capital.” The HOPE runners not only raised thousands for cancer research and trials support but they also had a wonderful day. Here is some of their feedback: "It was a pleasure to run the Big Half in aid of Hope Against Cancer with a wonderful amount of money raised so far!" "I can't put it into words, it was so hot and hard but I LOVED IT!! Thank you so much for this amazing experience" "Great day running in London for Hope Against Cancer" "Enjoyable day in the capital with a great group of people all running for Hope Against Cancer. I even set a new half marathon PB!!!" We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone that made the trip to support Hope Against Cancer and life changing cancer research and clinical trials here in Leicestershire and Rutland.

A Hope Against Cancer Press Release

We recently sat down with Hope’s longest serving volunteer Dorothy Tomlinson to talk a little bit about her time with the charity.

I believe that my experience with CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia) was fairly typical. It all began with an insurance policy blood test which showed a slightly raised white blood cell count that I needed to discuss with my GP. A referral to Leicester Royal Infirmary led to a diagnosis of CLL in July 2019. ‘A classic case’ the consultant said. I was 73 and it was a diagnosis by chance rather than by symptoms. The CLL was not that advanced and the doctors told me that there was no advantage to early treatment for this particular form of cancer. I was given reams of literature about the disease, which included plenty of optimistic comments about the success rates of the latest treatment, and I was put on Watch and Wait status. I soon learned that this is more realistically called Watch and Worry… I was also likely to be more prone to infection, and with COVID just around the corner, I became socially ultra cautious. I watched and I waited for three years, with blood tests every three months and ongoing discussions with my excellent consultant Dr Allchin. Dr Allchin was very clear about how the disease was progressing, realistic, but positive nevertheless. It was particularly helpful that my wife was able to attend all the sessions and that I could record them on my phone. In Autumn 2022 the tests revealed that it was time to start my treatment and I was given all the information I needed to make my own decision. I had two options. For me it was either take tablets for the rest of my life or a one-year treatment that would involve hospital visits. I chose the one year 'targeted therapy’ option. This is one of the new cancer treatments that research by centres such as the Hope Cancer Trials Centre has made possible. To begin I was given monthly infusions at the Osborne Day Centre at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. The nurses were superb, and the atmosphere was positive. This lasted approximately 6 months and while I was very tired for much of the time, there were not too many side effects. The treatment does affect your immune system so, in normal circumstances I would have needed to minimise social mixing, but the impact of COVID was having a similar effect anyway. The other part of my treatment was tablet-based which built to a crescendo of four large pills every day for ten months. This overlapped with the infusions, so that it was all completed within the same year. I received regular support from my consultant, from my CLL nurses (Sarah and Tina), from the Osborne Clinic nurses, and from the 24/7 Haematology helpline, and all this at an incredibly difficult time for every part of the NHS. My targeted therapy, which both enabled my immune system to recognise and fight the cancer, and attacked the disease itself, is a massive improvement on the earlier invasive treatments. To me, this clearly shows the progress made in cancer therapy thanks to research by organisations like Hope against Cancer. It was obvious how expensive all this is, especially as improvements are made in the effectiveness of treatment. Fundraising is a vital element in making these improvements possible. After I was told I was in remission I wanted to show my gratitude for the support I received at the LRI and donated to Hope Against Cancer to help support the incredible work of the Hope Cancer Trials Centre.