A MUM whose family has been devastated by cancer has called for people to back a major fundraising campaign which culminates in a live TV appeal this evening.
Debbie Clucas, 48, from Blackburn, has already lost her mum and brother-in-law to the disease, and now her sister Christine Nellany, who lives in Australia, is fighting bowel cancer.
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Debbie, who lives in Beardwood, took part in the Race For Life earlier this year, has backed the Stand up to Cancer campaign, a joint fundraiser from Cancer Research and Channel 4, which will be aired tonight at 7pm.
Her sister Christ-ine, a former mid-wife at the old Blackburn hospital, moved to Australia 10 years ago with her hus-band and three children. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer three years ago and after three lots of surgery to remove the tumours is currently undergoing chem-otherapy treatment.
Debbie, who teaches at St Barnabas and St Paul’s School in Blackburn, said: “Christine didn’t have any symptoms, but in Australia they offer you a screening test at 50. Doctors found she had cancer in her bowel and secondary tumours in her liver, but they just can’t seem to get rid of it.
“We are waiting to hear the results of her next scans to see whether she can have more surgery. It’s really hard being so far away with Christine on the other wide of the world. One of the things we can do though is fundraise – and encourage other people to fundraise – to help improve research so that more treat-ments are available for this horrible disease.”
Debbie was just 15 when her mum, Joyce Fish, passed away following a year-long battle with breast cancer, and she also lost her brother-in-law Michael White to leukaemia.
Alison Barbuti, Cancer Research UK’s spokesman for the North West, said: “We are very grateful to Debbie for her commitment to Stand Up To Cancer.
“We are asking everyone to start their fundraising ahead of the countdown to the live TV event tonight, and bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”
Millions are expected to tune into the TV appeal, which will be hosted by Davina McCall, Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen.
- For more information, and to get involved, go to www.standuptocancer.org.uk
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