Wigan mum's mission to help fund cancer research after beating disease

Mum-of-three Katie Norris owes her life to research and improved treatments, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.

She has vowed to help Cancer Research UK - and other people battling the disease - as the charity tries to tackle the devastating loss of funding caused by the pandemic.

It is expecting a staggering £160m drop in income this year, which is putting future breakthroughs at risk for people like Katie.

The charity has already made the difficult decision to cut £44m in research, but fears this is likely to be just the beginning. Katie, 47, has decided to share her story in a bid to help Cancer Research UK raise funds.

It coincides with its latest TV appeal, which features a direct plea for donations from a leading scientist. The message in the film is clear – to save lives tomorrow, the charity needs the public’s support today.

Katie, who lives in Standish, found a lump on her left breast in 2013.

When it did not go away after a few days, she saw her GP and was referred for more tests. She underwent a scan, mammogram and biopsy with initial indications suggesting Katie may have cancer.

Just a week later she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, aged 40, and given a date for surgery to remove the lump. Katie also had lymph nodes removed from under her arms, which proved to be clear of the disease.

She underwent chemotherapy, which made her hair fall out, and radiotherapy treatment.

But she coped well with the treatment and still took part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life while undergoing radiotherapy.

Katie, who is married to Mike and has children Josh, 23, Matthew, 18, and Zoe, 14, studied a nursing associate foundation degree at the University of Bolton.

She qualified at the start of 2019 and has been working alongside district nurses in Wigan as a nursing associate, which has meant being on the frontline during the pandemic.

Katie said: “My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly.

“It’s thanks to research and improved treatments - in part to Cancer Research UK’s work - that I’ve been given more precious time with my loved ones. If I had been diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago, the outcome might not have been the same for me – and that’s down to research. So, it’s distressing to think that progress that could help more people like me survive cancer in the future is being delayed because of the effects of the pandemic.

“Nobody wants to see scientists have to start hanging up their lab coats, so I hope that people 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’s work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity currently funds around 50 per cent of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK and is the only UK charity fighting more than 200 types of cancer. 

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK spokesman for the North West, said: “We’re grateful to Katie for helping to underline the power of research in saving lives.

“Cancer Research UK has played a role in developing eight 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.

“Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters. So, whether they donate this festive season, fund-raise or shop at our stores as they reopen, with the help of people in Wigan we believe that together we will still beat cancer.”

Donate at cruk.org/give

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