AN NHS student nurse is tackling a twin athletic challenge to raise funds for cancer research – just 12 months after being diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Former Pembrokeshire College student Erin Lewis, of Aberporth, aims to raise £1,000 for Brain Tumour Research by completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge next month and the Great Manchester Half Marathon on May 21, having received the all-clear in August following a ‘brutal’ bout of chemotherapy.
“I was diagnosed in February last year and at the time it was terrifying,” she said. “I had no idea what Lymphoma was and really thought it was the end for me.
“Luckily, it’s a cancer that’s been thoroughly researched enabling a higher success rate of survival.
“Unfortunately, people diagnosed with brain tumours often get told by doctors they have very limited treatment options and could die within five years.
“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of forty than any other cancer, yet only two per cent of national funding gets allocated to this devastating disease.
“I believe that with more research and funding we will find a cure. Science is making huge strides all the time.”
The BTR charity are calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists have dubbed ‘the last battleground against cancer’.
And the 24-year-old amateur boxer – now a nursing student at Manchester Metropolitan University – says her own cancer experience enables her to empathise with patients she helps treat in city hospitals as part of her training.
“I was removing a cannula from this guy’s arm the other day and had a sense of deja vu,” she recalled. “Less than a year before I’d been undergoing the same procedure myself – it felt surreal.”
Erin, who has represented her home town of Cardigan in the boxing ring, described the support she received from staff and fellow students at Pembrokeshire College as she struggled to pass exams in the midst of her chemo regime as ‘amazing’.
“Getting to Manchester in September seemed a long shot, but I’m so grateful that Pembrokeshire College – including Principal Barry Walters – had such faith in me,” she added.
“Yes, I had some tough times and lost all my hair, but I got there in the end.
“I know people are struggling financially, but every donation to my Gofundme page – no matter how small – will help.”
Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/fa57f5f4
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