Charity Christmas campaign shines a light on Yorkshire’s cancer stars

Yorkshire Cancer Research will ‘Help Yorkshire Shine’ this Christmas with a campaign that invites people to dedicate a star to a loved one affected by cancer or to someone who has supported them throughout their cancer experience.

Every 17 minutes, someone in Yorkshire is told they have cancer. The ‘Help Yorkshire Shine’ campaign aims to shine a light on the ground-breaking cancer research that is helping to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire, giving people in the region more Christmases to enjoy with their family and friends.

From today (19 November), people can dedicate a star with a personal message and see their Yorkshire Star shine brightly on the charity’s online gallery, or have their star added to the Christmas display at the Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre in Harrogate.

Supporting the campaign is 59-year-old David Gold from Leeds, who benefitted from a pioneering clinical trial, FOxTROT 3, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and led by researchers at the University of Leeds and the University of Birmingham.

David was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in August 2023 after experiencing breathlessness and pain in his right arm. The diagnosis came as a shock to David and his family, who had no prior experience of a loved one being affected by cancer.

Following his diagnosis, Mr Richard Baker, Consultant General Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, recommended FOxTROT 3, a clinical trial which explores whether giving specific groups of patients a course of chemotherapy before surgery can help improve cancer outcomes.

As part of the trial, David underwent two rounds of chemotherapy prior to the planned surgery to remove his tumour. The FOxTROT treatment was a success, and the tumour shrank by one third, making surgery more straightforward and less invasive.

Despite these positive steps towards recovery, David unfortunately found himself still in hospital last Christmas Day after becoming ill with pneumonia following his surgery, making the holiday period even more challenging for himself and his family.

After four more rounds of post-surgery chemotherapy under FOxTROT 3, David is now having six-monthly checks to hopefully confirm that he remains cancer-free.

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “David is one of 600 people every week, or one person every 17 minutes, in Yorkshire, who are told they have cancer. Yorkshire Cancer Research is committed to preventing cancer and reducing years lost to cancer. Thanks to research and services funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, people will gain 14,700 more years of life. That's many more people spending Christmas with their family and loved ones."

Speaking on his experience of being in hospital over Christmas, David commented: “I am extremely proud of my family who showed such resilience last Christmas when I was in hospital.”

“Given the memories of last year, this Christmas will be far from normal, but it will be extra special for us all to be together. I’m really looking forward to all the traditions we missed out on last year – from arguing over who wins at Uno to playing Wham! at full blast!”

*Impact Report, Yorkshire Cancer Research, November 2024