A WOMAN who has been undergoing treatment for her second cancer diagnosis during lockdown, is appealing for donations to help replace the lost research funding it has caused.

Laura Hunter, 30, from Tenbury, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, with her second diagnosis, a separate breast cancer, coming in August this year.

An additional crisis hit her in 2017 when she was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour in 2017.

Although this is not believed to be cancerous, it is still being monitored and she may need surgery once her breast cancer treatment is complete.

Miss Hunter believes she is alive today thanks to the work done by Cancer Research UK after being given drugs the charity helped develop as part of her treatment.

Because of this, she is determined to help protect other people with cancer. She said: "It was very difficult to get that news all over again, just when I’d been hoping to get my life and my career back on track.

"I had been hoping to continue to save to complete a postgraduate course, which is something I’ve always wanted to do since graduating, but I’ve had to put my plans on hold all over again.

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"My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly. It’s thanks in part to Cancer Research UK’s work that I’m still here to celebrate Christmas this year with my boyfriend and family.

"If I had been diagnosed with cancer ten years ago, the outcome might not have been the same for me – and that’s down to research. It upsets me to think that progress that could help more people survive cancer in the future is being delayed because of the effects of the pandemic

"I hope that people across Worcestershire will be inspired by the charity’s determination to carry on beating cancer and give what they can. They could give hope to families like mine and that’s what Christmas is all about."

Cancer Research UK is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income this year, which is putting future breakthroughs at risk for people like Miss Hunter. The charity has already had to make the difficult decision to cut £44 million in research, but this is likely to be just the beginning.

Jane Redman from Cancer Research UK, said: “We’re grateful to Laura for helping to underline the power of research in saving lives.

Cancer Research UK has played a role in developing 8 of the world’s top 10 cancer drugs and we’re working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.

The truth is, COVID-19 has slowed us down. But we will never stop. One in two people will get cancer in their lifetime, which is why we are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow."

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Miss Hunter was first diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2015 when she was just 24 years old after noticing a lump in her right breast.

After undergoing fertility preservation surgery, she had a lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy was a particularly difficult time for the 30 year-old, who experienced all kinds of complications including a reactivation of chicken pox, repeated admissions with neutropenic sepsis, a pulmonary embolism and multiple blood transfusions.

She also lost all her hair and now suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Following the chemotherapy and radiotherapy she received Herceptin for 18 months and was put on Tamoxifen for ten years – two drugs which Cancer Research UK helped to develop.

Then, in 2017, Laura started to suffer from visual problems and was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour.

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Although the tumour slow-growing and not malignant, she has been told she may need surgery in the future.

In August this year Laura received the devastating news that she had breast cancer for a second time.

Although the tumour is in the same breast and is the same type of cancer, it is a new primary cancer and not a recurrence of the original one.

She says going through treatment during a pandemic has been a very lonely experience, with key appointments and chemotherapy often taking place alone.

Laura’s treatment will consist of at least 16 cycles of aggressive chemotherapy, followed by a double mastectomy and more radiotherapy.

She will then continue treatment with Herceptin and endocrine therapy, Zoladex, for several years.

For more information and to help Cancer Research UK, go to https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/