Oswalds at Thirsk

Leukaemia Research

Our work in the North East

Sylvia Gaunt

My sister Susan was just six years old when she died of leukaemia in 1960. Back then, most children and adults who were affected by this cancer of the blood had virtually no chance of survival.

But my mum wanted to make something positive out of the tragic loss of her young daughter, so we started raising money for research, forming the first volunteer Branch of Leukaemia Research in the front room of our house in Middlesbrough.

My mother and father could not have foreseen that their fundraising would lead to the growth of a national charity - Leukaemia Research - or that thousands of people would come together, determined to spare others the heartache of losing a loved one.

Nearly 50 years later, eight out of ten children survive the most common form of leukaemia, and adult survival rates are also improving for all blood cancer patients. Now we are joined by people who fundraise for Leukaemia Research as a way of saying “Thank you” for the life-saving treatment they or their loved one received.

But treatments are still grueling and we are a long way from saving everyone with leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. That's why I'm still supporting Leukaemia Research and why we need you.

Today, the North East still has a special place in the heart of Leukaemia Research. Many local people raise money for us, helping us to invest nearly £4 million in research into blood cancers at the University of Newcastle. We're lucky enough to have over 1,200 people each year running the Great North Run for us and we even design our Christmas cards and some of our jewellery in the region too!

We are celebrating our 50th anniversary or Big Five-O in 2010 and with your support, we can get closer to a cure for these terrible diseases. I hope you will join us and help us create, for the next generation, a world free of blood cancers

 

Sylvia Gaunt, née Eastwood

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