Playing her cards right!
An inspirational Newmains mum who has beaten cancer twice is starring in a new Mother’s Day card designed to help save lives.
Mum-of-three Laura Lawrie’s inspiring story and photograph features on a greeting card which is on sale in all large Tesco stores.
It is hoped the card and Laura’s story will connect with people affected by the disease, as well as raising funds for Cancer Research UK.
Ambulance handler Laura, who is now clear of cancer, can’t wait to see the greeting card, designed by Hallmark, on the supermarket shelves.
The 39-year-old said: “I’ve had breast cancer twice and it’s made me realise how strong I am as a person.
“Being a mum, I had to keep going because of my kids and the only way I could keep ahead of the situation was to keep smiling and use my humour to get through it.
“I’m so proud to support Race for Life and Tesco and be part of this collection of Mother’s Day cards.”
Laura is pictured on the Mother’s Day card dressed in a Race for Life t-shirt after taking part in the mud-splattered Race for
Life Pretty Muddy obstacle course at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
She raised more than £5,000 for Cancer Research UK by completing the course just three weeks after finishing chemotherapy treatment and days before mastectomy surgery.
The snap was taken on September 18, 2016, a moment Laura will always remember as it was also her daughter Charlie’s 12th birthday.
“We even celebrated with a special Pretty Muddy style birthday cake for my daughter and our friends,” said Laura.
This year, Laura plans to celebrate Mother’s Day with her husband John, 40, and children, Regan, 22, Charlie, now 16, and Madison, 10.
It will also be a chance for Laura to thank her own mum, Morag Marshall, 62, who is a nurse at University Hospital Wishaw and supported her every step of the way through cancer treatment.
Laura said: “I’m really close to my mum and she was my rock through treatment.
“My husband was working in London when I was first diagnosed with cancer so it was my mum who was there with me in the hospital room when I was told.
“Mum just lives down the road from us but I’m shielding from the pandemic at the moment so we have to keep a distance.
“I miss hugging mum but we still talk almost every day and I tell her that I love her.”