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Friends of

Daniel’s story

Hi I’m Daniel. I am now 33 years old and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) when I was three years old in December 1989. Being so young at the time, I don’t really have many memories of that period of my life. I just remember being in hospital a lot around the age of 5 and then almost all throughout my school life for regular check-ups.

Diagnosis and treatment

My mum tells me that she’d taken my sister to the doctor’s for asthma. She also asked the doctor to take a look at me because I was pale and lethargic. The doctor, Dr Plumb, to whom my mum will always be eternally grateful, lifted up my top and started to check my organs. This struck my mum as strange and he later confirmed that he had been checking for aAcute Lymphoblastic Leukemian enlarged liver, since it can be a sign of cancer.

Dr Plumb had actually done his training on the Borchardt Ward at Pendlebury, which is where he had learnt to check for an enlarged liver. After blood tests over the next couple of days, they took some bone marrow confirming that I had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I responded well to treatment and went into remission within three months but they had to complete the course of treatment. During my time being treated, I was briefly on the Borchardt Ward at the same time as Rosie Larkin, the little girl who inspired the Friends of Rosie Children’s Cancer Research Fund.  My mum tells me that Rosie and I we were of a similar age when we were on the ward together.

Acute Lymphoblastic LeukemiaI also appeared in a documentary about the charity in which I’m being tickled by Dr. Pat Morris-Jones, who I believe knew Rosie also. A lot of my memories of the time are actually quite happy ones. I was fortunate to be a part of a trip to Mora, Sweden in December 1990. During the trip Granada Reports and Bob Greaves took a group of children to meet Father Christmas and the reindeer.

And I will also never forget a boy from my nursery wanting to look like me when I was going through chemo and shaving his head! Indeed that kind of togetherness is something which is embodied by Friends of Rosie. It’s why I am really pleased to be able to support this charity.

My life since

I’ve been pretty healthy since remission and had no relapses thankfully. The leukaemia has not affected my life and fortunately I have had no side effects. In fact, I would like to think I have lived a pretty full life since.

I did fairly well at school and went on to study French at university, living in France for a while, working mainly as a translator. Later, I then trained as a teacher back in the UK and taught French at a special school for autistic children. I’m now working as a French teacher in Muscat, Oman in the Middle East.

To support Friends of Rosie and help raise money to get more childhood cancer research projects off the ground, I ran the Paris Marathon in 2019 and raised almost £1,000.

This year I’ve decided to go one better (or 365 days better) and commit to running 5k a day from 31st January 2020 until 31st January 2021. My challenge is already underway and you can keep up with my progress on my fundraising page and my Facebook page.

I hope that sharing my story will give hope to many parents and families whose children are being treated with cancer, particularly ALL, at the moment.

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Nancy Dykes

Nancy Dykes

Nancy, 11, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 2 years old. She was treated with Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) in Germany but unfortunately relapsed less than a year later. The family were then sent to Germany for a second round of PBT. Although treatment helped to cure Nancy’s cancer, she has been left with lots of lasting effects which will require ongoing treatment throughout her life. Here Nancy and her mum, Antonia, share their story in the hope it will help others, raise awareness, and raise more money for children’s cancer research.

Watch Story
Prof John Hickman

Prof John Hickman

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF
 
I am a relative of the Larkin family and knew Rosie Larkin ( Friends of Rosie, now CCRF) when she had and then died of neuroblastoma, aged six. At that time, I was a scientist and professor at Manchester University, actively working on the problem of why some cancers do not die despite intensive and toxic therapies.  Seeing Rosie during her unsuccessful therapy and then attending her funeral, besides being emotional, drove me to double down on my own research as well as to support the Charity as best I could as a cancer researcher. I spent over a decade as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the CCRF, when the Board moulded policies to ensure that funds raised for research into childhood cancers were distributed only to clinicians and researchers who had the brightest ideas that could impact of cancer medicine for children.
 
My role on the Board
 
As a Trustee,  I hope that my many decades of experience in cancer research and medicine can help the CCRF determine where best the funds that are raised can be invested in cutting edge research and medicine. I am also keen that the CCRF brings together UK and international experts in science and cancer medicine to brainstorm on how best to advance the treatment of childhood cancers.
 
My Background
 
I was a Professor of Pharmacology at Manchester University, working on drug resistance in cancer. I then moved to Paris, where I still live, to head cancer drug discovery at a French pharmaceutical company (Servier). I then headed an EU consortium for six years that brought together researchers from the pharmaceutical industry, universities and biotechnology companies, from all over Europe and the UK, to improve cancer drug discovery. I continue to be active in cancer health policy, publishing in the medical literature.
Katrina

Katrina London

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF

I have spent my professional career representing individuals and families affected by the devastating asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, which has no cure and for which there are only a limited number of palliative treatments available on the NHS.

I joined CCRF because I wanted to bring my understanding of the need to raise awareness of less well known cancers and passion for the need to secure improved funding for research to children facing a cancer diagnosis.

My role on the Board

I am responsible for oversight of our collaboration agreements with other charities to co-fund research into cures and treatments for childhood cancers. I also manage our challenge events and help with community fundraising. 

My Background

I am a Senior Associate at Irwin Mitchell LLP and specialise in Asbestos Disease Litigation, acting on behalf of victims of asbestos related diseases and their families.  Over the years, I have undertaken a number of fundraising challenges to raise money for cancer research, including a 1000 mile cycle ride from Glasgow to Southampton.   

Carla

Carla Nuttall

Why I’m a Trustee of CCRF
 
I became a trustee of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund because I believe every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and with everything to look forward to in life. Like many people, I’ve seen the impact cancer can have on families and I wanted to do something that could make a real difference. This started through my work as an ambassador for Cyclists Fighting Cancer, which supported young people and their families in finding strength, confidence, and joy through movement.
 
That experience shaped my understanding of the challenges families face and the importance of community-led support – but crucially, the clear need for that to go hand-in-hand with targeted research and long-term solutions.
 
This is why I’m so passionate about the work CCRF does and proud to contribute to a cause that gives children and their families, the greatest chance of living a life without limits.
 
My Role on the Board
 
I support CCRF’s mission by bringing my experience in brand, marketing, and communications to the board. My focus is on helping CCRF tell its story in a way that resonates with people – whether that’s families, researchers, donors, or the wider public. I work alongside an incredible team to strengthen CCRF’s voice, build trust, and grow awareness so that more children and families can benefit from the breakthroughs we’re helping to fund.
 
My Background
 
I’m the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing for The Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people, businesses, and places to thrive through its market-leading insight, employment, skills and business support.
My passion is to help the organisations I work with to communicate with clarity, purpose, and integrity. That’s why I’ve spent my career in strategic communications supporting organisations that want to make a positive difference – CCRF could not fit my sense of purpose any better.