'I'm one of the lucky ones and that's why I'm supporting Yorkshire Cancer Research so families can spend more Christmases together'
From those taken ill to the volunteers to family members, cancer has affected so many lives in so many different ways. Laura Reid spoke to those who have had to deal with the trauma of the disease.
Through its 2025 Christmas appeal, For More Christmases Together, Yorkshire Cancer Research is encouraging people to support pioneering research and innovative cancer services, so that families and friends can spend more precious moments together.
The charity is sharing the experiences of people across Yorkshire to highlight the thousands of households affected by cancer during the festive season – from those facing Christmas with a recent diagnosis, to others adjusting to life after finishing treatment, and people remembering loved ones who are no longer here.
Data suggests that more than 2,600 people in Yorkshire will be told they have cancer this December and there are over 222,000 people in the region living with cancer or who have previously been diagnosed.
Yorkshire Cancer Research, which this year has marked its centenary, says it currently funds £75 million of research including 26 clinical trials, “to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer”, saving and extending lives.
Sara Williamson, Wakefield
‘I am one of the lucky ones’
Christmas 2025 marks an important milestone for Wakefield-based Sara Williamson. It has been ten years since she was told she had breast cancer.
On December 1, 2015, she received her diagnosis. The statistics were against me, and I was told my chances of survival were low, but I am one of the lucky ones,” she says. “This Christmas is extra special…It’s been 10 years living with that cancer diagnosis – all the more reason to celebrate with loved ones.”
Sara is a committed supporter of Yorkshire Cancer Research. After experiencing heart failure twice during chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, she joined a cancer rehabilitation programme funded by the charity to build back her physical strength and support her mental health.
She is now a champion of the charity’s research-backed cancer exercise treatment programme Active Together, designed by Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre.
“I firmly believe I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for exercise,” she says.
Inspired by the wellbeing benefits that fitness can bring, Sara formed ‘My Breast Cancer Support’ group in 2017, an activity-focused community for anyone living with breast cancer in Wakefield and West Yorkshire.
When asked about what she is looking forward to this Christmas, she says: “During the festive period, I enjoy hosting wreath-making workshops. Floristry is a practice I have immersed myself in before, during and after my cancer treatment. The process of foraging is incredibly satisfying, and the act of making is a form of mindfulness – a distraction from the side effects of living with cancer and the outside world.”
She adds: “At Christmas I love cooking with my mum and sister. It always brings me back to childhood. We plan and prepare meticulously, making canapes with my nephew, designing a Christmas tree-shaped cheese board, and we spend hours beforehand making homemade crafts and games. I’m a big kid at heart and knowing I’ve been given this time thanks to pioneering cancer research in Yorkshire makes it truly magical.”
Margaret Stevens, Great Ayton
‘We would have had more Christmases together’
This Christmas, Margaret Stevens will mark 49 years of fundraising for Yorkshire Cancer Research, through the charity’s longest-running local volunteer group in Great Ayton, which was first established in 1948.
She has seen much of the vital progress made during the charity’s 100-year existence, including improvements in bowel cancer treatment, the announcement of national lung cancer screening and new funding for groundbreaking genetic research.
Margaret first joined the Great Ayton local volunteer group in 1977, a year after her father, Len, passed away from prostate cancer.
She says: “Cancer wasn’t a word you mentioned then. There were no scans, and my dad didn’t have access to the treatments and innovations we have now. I have lost loved ones to cancer and seen others gain more good years thanks to cancer research happening right here in Yorkshire.”
Margaret has now spent 50 Christmases without her father, but she still cherishes the memories of those they shared.
“Christmas was all about playing board games, sharing a proper family Christmas dinner and simply enjoying being together,” she says. “After I had children, I loved watching (my dad) play with the kids and their new toys.
“That first Christmas without him was so strange. We made sure Father Christmas still came for the children, but my dad wasn’t there. If he was being diagnosed today, it would be different. We would have had many more Christmases together.”
Alice Hildred, York
‘This Christmas feels very different to the last’
Last Christmas was a difficult period for Alice Hildred, a 38-year-old baker from York. She was preparing for surgery to remove a potentially cancerous tumour in her neck.
“I first noticed a lump in March, and after numerous appointments and tests, the doctors were still unsure what it was,” she explains. “I was put on the waiting list for surgery, and I had to live with a large, painful lump for months. As a result, I felt anxious and distracted last Christmas.”
Following the operation, Alice was told the lump was thyroid cancer and after another surgery, she later began receiving radioactive iodine therapy, a treatment which is swallowed as a capsule to target thyroid cells.
To help her fitness during treatment, Alice and her family took part in We Walk for Yorkshire, a walking challenge to raise funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research.
Alice says: “I’m so grateful for the care and treatment I received after my diagnosis. Taking part in We Walk for Yorkshire helped me get out walking and focus on something positive. It feels good to support the work of Yorkshire Cancer Research and help improve treatments – and lives - for other people with cancer in Yorkshire.”
Thanks to her treatment, this Christmas feels very different to the last, she says. “My favourite tradition is putting the decorations up on the first day of December. My partner and I pop festive music on and decorate together – even our dog Bonnie ‘helps’. This year I’m looking forward to a cosy Christmas with them both.”
Leona Deakin, Ilkley
‘It feels like the start of a new, healthier chapter’
Last Christmas, Ilkley psychologist and crime author Leona Deakin was struggling with continued fatigue, which she initially attributed to a busy life and the effects of menopause.
But after noticing further symptoms, she pushed herself to visit the doctor and shortly after, was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Many surgical advancements in bowel cancer treatment have taken place in Yorkshire, thanks to pioneering cancer researchers, including Professor Philip Quirke at the University of Leeds. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research since 1984, Professor Quirke’s groundbreaking work in surgical techniques has revolutionised treatment for people with bowel cancer in Yorkshire and around the world.
As her cancer was caught early, Leona was able to receive keyhole surgery, a less invasive procedure which can lead to a faster recovery and less time in hospital.
She says: “I’ve benefited from many innovations in bowel cancer treatment and cancer researchers in Yorkshire have played an important role in these breakthroughs. I feel very fortunate to have had the option for keyhole surgery and a surgical staple that means I don’t need a stoma bag.”
Leona’s plans for a summer holiday were cancelled this year due to her surgery but she’s now looking forward to a Christmastime trip to Marrakech, in Morocco, which she says feels like the start of “a new, healthier chapter”.
“Now I’m feeling better after my cancer treatment, I can’t wait to fill the house with Christmas tunes and have lots of fun together.”
Gavin Nelson-Auty, Dewsbury
‘Cancer took away both my parents, my entire world’
Christmas is a meaningful time for Gavin Nelson-Auty from Dewsbury. A regular supporter of life‑saving cancer research, he has generously donated for many years in memory of his mum and dad, who both sadly passed away from cancer.
Gavin is particularly motivated by the giving spirit of the festive season. During the Christmas period in 2022, for example,, he fixed up second-hand bikes and gave them out to hundreds of people in need, including children with cancer.
He is a strong believer in the long-lasting impact of people donating to pioneering cancer research in Yorkshire, so more families across the region don’t experience what he has.
He says: “I have seen firsthand the hurt cancer causes families. It took away both my parents – my entire world. Celebrating all those big moments without them, like Christmas, is so difficult. I don’t want that for anyone else.”
“One day, I believe there will be a cure,” he continues. “Maybe I won’t be around to see it, but I hope that through my contributions to research and new treatments, I will have helped save lives and keep families together in the future.”
Gavin remembers Christmas as a time centred on family. “Even though my parents were separated, Christmas was still all about being together,” he says. “We would take it in turns to open one present at a time, going round the circle like pass the parcel. This year, I’m looking forward to spending time with my son, Isaac. We’ll be flying to Iceland together for a special four-night Christmas trip.”
Louise Hatfield, North Ferriby, East Yorkshire
‘I’ve never stopped feeling grateful’
2025 marks 13 years since Louise Hatfield, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She had a swift operation to remove the affected breast, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but later faced serious health complications.
Louise recalls that first Christmas after her cancer treatment was very strange.
“I developed paraneoplastic neurological syndrome, a rare side effect of cancer where the immune system attacks parts of the nervous syndrome. It was before Christmas in 2012 when I had to rely on a mobility aid to walk. I used to be a very active, independent person, so my cancer experience altered that first festive season completely.”
To help build her confidence, Louise started participating in fundraising challenges to support the vital work of Yorkshire Cancer Research. This included We Walk for Yorkshire, where she set herself a personal walking goal and raised over £1,100.
“Taking part in an accessible challenge helped me feel a bit more normal,” she says. “It allowed me to accept my physical limitations while still contributing to ground-breaking progress in my region.”
Next year, Louise and her partner Nick will both be turning 60, and they’re looking forward to watching their eldest daughter walk down the aisle.
“Christmas is a special time to look back on how I’ve helped Yorkshire Cancer Research to fund cancer research in our region,” Louise says. “13 years on after my own diagnosis, I’ve never stopped feeling grateful for the chance to be here, and I try to enjoy every minute of the life I’ve been given.”
To support its Christmas campaign, visit www.yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/for-more-christmases-together