“They may not have wings, but they truly are angels.”

After his cancer diagnosis, the team’s priority was to help Merton regain mobility. Can you give hope to more patients like Merton by remembering Leeds Hospitals Charity in your Will?

WAKING up from surgery, four rods now inserted into his spine, Merton wasn’t sure if he was in heaven. This surgery was the first major step in, as Merton describes, “living cheerfully with cancer.”

“We will teach you to walk again.”

These words from a kind physiotherapist brought tears to Merton’s eyes. And they were right; soon, Merton was able to manage the stairs at home.

It’s been nearly 13 years since this milestone and all that time, Leeds Cancer Centre has helped Merton cope with his cancer. The surgery was just the first in a series of treatments in his journey.

“I’m not going to let the cancer take any of my mental energy. I still have my life to live.”

Interventions like chemotherapy and several anti-cancer drug trials over the years have enabled Merton to feel ok within himself. “If there’s some good that comes from them, I can cope.” His motivations go beyond helping himself; he hopes this research will benefit other cancer patients too.

That’s also why he’s made the amazing decision to leave a gift to Leeds Hospitals Charity in his Will.

Like Merton’s, a gift in your Will to Leeds Hospitals Charity could fund clinical trials that make cancer surgeries safer. Your gift could upgrade crucial equipment at Leeds Cancer Centre – like Limax lasers that are vital in removing tumours, or fluorescence software that enables clinicians to identify cancerous tissue.

“I want the best cancer treatments to be available to patients like me, so I’ve left a gift in my Will; I hope there’s some good that can come from my experience.”