A CHESTER cancer survivor is rallying residents to help tackle the devastating loss of funding for cancer research, caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Tiffany Williams, who was brought up in Blacon, has vowed to help Cancer Research UK continue its mission as it launches an urgent new appeal for donations to help get life-saving work back on track.

Following the cancellation of fundraising events like Race for Life, the charity is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income in the year ahead.

As a result, Cancer Research UK has had to make the difficult decision to cut £44 million in research funding, but this is likely to be just the beginning.

After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged just 18, Tiffany owes her life to advances in treatment.

That’s why she’s helping to highlight the threat the funding gap poses to future breakthroughs for cancer patients in Chester and across the UK.

This is powerfully brought to life in a new TV appeal film. It shows a cancer patient on the verge of finding out whether her treatment has been successful, when the video pauses at the critical moment.

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

By sharing her story, Tiffany, now aged 24, hopes to inspire people to donate now.

Tiffany became well known for sharing her experiences while undergoing treatment on social media.

She was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. Tiffany had developed lumps on her neck which she initially assumed were swollen glands and not a serious health issue.

She had four weeks of fertility treatment and her eggs frozen to ensure she could have children despite the gruelling effects of six months of chemotherapy treatment.

However, she fell pregnant naturally with her Italian partner Ettorino and gave birth to baby Nella Sofia almost three months ago during lockdown.

Tiffany, whose siblings and parents still live in Blacon, has now moved to Mold.

She works as an operations executive for a large travel company following a degree in tourism management at the University of Chester.

Tiffany was diagnosed with cancer just three months before starting the degree and juggled lectures with chemotherapy.

She said: “My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly. I was absolutely devastated to be diagnosed with cancer at such a young age.

“It’s thanks to improved treatments that I’ve been given more precious time with my loved ones and been able to have my beautiful baby girl – so it upsets me to think about research being delayed 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 hope that people will be moved by the charity’s determination to carry on beating cancer and give what they can. They could make a real difference to people like me.”

Cancer Research UK’s work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity currently funds around 50 per cent of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK.

However, as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, promising projects which could have the big answers to cancer are being held up.

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North West, said: “We’re grateful to Tiffany for helping to underline the stark reality of the current situation.

“Covid-19 put so much of our research on pause, leaving us facing a crisis where every day and every pound counts.

“With around 41,000 people diagnosed with cancer each year in the North West, we will never stop striving to create better treatments. But we can’t do it alone.

“Whether they donate, sign up to Race for Life at Home or shop at our stores - with the help of people in Chester, we believe that together we will still beat cancer.”

Cancer Research UK was able to spend over £30 million in the North West last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

The charity has played a part in developing 8 out of 10 of the world’s top cancer drugs, but progress such as this is under threat due to a devastating loss of funding caused by Covid-19.

There are lots of different ways people in Chester can help to get life-saving research back on track by:

  • Making a donation
  • Taking part in Race for Life at Home
  • Signing up to Cycle 300
  • Shopping at the recently reopened Cancer Research UK stores in Foregate Street and Watergate Street in Chester
  • Donate now at cruk.org/give.