Young Heysham cancer survivor stars in charity TV appeal

With fundraising events having been cancelled and the charity’s shops closed, 20-year-old Amber Rae has stepped forward to help highlight the devastating loss of funding for vital research caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Amber owes her life to research after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia last August when she was just 19.

That’s why she’s sharing her story to help highlight the powerful advert, in which she appears with one of the charity’s leading scientists whose work has been slowed down by the pandemic.

The film features a direct plea for support from a scientist, along with clips of Amber and other cancer patients and survivors in lockdown - many of whom are self-isolating or shielding to protect their health.

During the advert, Amber, who is a former pupil of Ripley St Thomas CE Academy in Lancaster, can be seen cutting her nanna’s hair.

In sharing the current experiences of people affected by cancer, it brings into sharp focus the threat the virus poses to research into new and better treatments for people like Amber in the future.

The message in the ad is clear – to save lives tomorrow, Cancer Research UK needs the public’s support today.

For former Amber, it’s a compelling call to action for people in Lancashire to donate now and support the charity’s pledge to carry on the fight against cancer.

Amber, who lives with her nanna Gina Rae, had been feeling unwell for five months before she was eventually diagnosed. She had repeated blood tests and it was initially thought she had glandular fever. By the time Amber was diagnosed she was so poorly that she had to be rushed to The Christie hospital in Manchester.

Amber, who is studying at Liverpool John Moores University, spent five weeks in hospital and faced eight months of intensive chemotherapy. Despite being so poorly, she responded well and is now in the “maintenance” phase of treatment which will mean a monthly trip to The Christie for chemotherapy for the next two and a half years.

Amber lost her hair within the first month of chemotherapy which she found traumatic, but she now wears wigs and turban wraps.

She has also had to face the prospect of not being able to have children. As Amber had to start chemotherapy so rapidly after diagnosis, there wasn’t enough time to freeze her eggs. She will have her fertility checked once she is further into the maintenance period of her treatment.

Amber’s friends and family have been an incredible support and she’s shared her experiences on social media to inspire others. She is just about to launch her own You Tube channel. Amber plans to return to university in the autumn.

She said: “My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly.

“It’s thanks to improved treatments that I’ve been given more precious time with my loved ones, so it upsets me to think about research being held up and what this might mean for people affected by cancer in the months and years to come.

“By boosting funding now, we can all help to lessen the future impact on patients, so I’m proud to be part of this vitally important campaign. I hope that people in the North West will be inspired by the charity’s determination to carry on beating cancer and give what they can.”

Cancer Research UK’s work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last forty years.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity currently funds around 50% of all cancer research in the UK.

However, as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, it expects to see its fundraising income decline by up to 25 per cent in the next financial year – putting this life-saving research at risk.

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the north west, said: “We’re grateful to Amber for playing a starring role in our appeal and helping to underline the reality of the current situation.

“We’ve always said ‘together we will beat cancer’. But the truth is, Covid-19 has slowed us down. Right now, clinical trials are being postponed and we’re having to delay vital research.

“But we will never stop. Around 41,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the north west*, which is why we are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow. However, we can’t do it alone.

“Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated. So, with the help of people in the north west we believe that together we will still beat cancer.”

Cancer Research UK was able to spend more than £30m in the north west last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

Donate now at cruk.org/donate