“I can’t do the research myself, but I stand alongside the researchers and I am part of the progress that is being made.”

Around 19,300* people in Wales are diagnosed with cancer each year. Based on the average annual number of new cases of all cancers combined excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD10 C00-C97 excl.C44) diagnosed in Wales between 2015 and 2017. That’s over 50 people diagnosed with cancer every day in Wales. Stats - Agree that it’s 53 cases per day, but not sure about this statement as it assumes each person diagnosed is from a different family. Please remove the statement on families completely or change it to ‘That’s over 50 people diagnosed with cancer every day in Wales’ Which is why research in to finding new, kinder treatments and improved tests is so vital. And research requires funding.

Many research projects in Wales benefit from the generosity of people leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in their Will. Linda, who lives in South Wales knows first-hand how cancer can affect families.

“My son was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 26. He was about to get married and was going to be a father too. He had surgery a week before his wedding and went on honeymoon not knowing the type or severity of the cancer, so not knowing if he would need chemotherapy on his return. That was 19 years ago, and he and his wife now have two children.

“Since then, my dad died from cancer, and my husband Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago. All three experiences are the reasons why we need to support research.

“After my son’s treatment, I wanted to say, ‘Thank You’. He had benefited from research and treatment which had taken place sometime before his diagnosis. I wanted to help pass that gift on to others in the future so that they could benefit in the same way. “So, we pledged a gift in our Will and set up a regular donation to Cancer Research UK. I see a legacy (a gift left in your Will) as a celebration of the progress which has been made by research, while it also recognises how much more work needs to be done. It means we can be optimistic about future diagnosis and treatment. “Going through cancer can be such a traumatic and dark time for a family, but leaving a legacy feels a very positive way of doing something about it. No gift is too small – every gift helps, and I would say to others ‘Do this and be part of this progress too’. “When I hear about a news story about research or hear a survival story, I feel involved. I get so much out of supporting and seeing where the money goes. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts. I can’t do the research myself, but I stand alongside the researchers and I am part of the progress that is being made.”

Gifts in Wills fund over a third of our life-saving research. These vital legacies, together with the commitment of the researchers to make progress, are so important to helping those in the future who face cancer.

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