A DIVERSITY model and disability advocate from Carlisle, who was paralysed in a car crash then diagnosed with breast cancer, is celebrating her first year in remission by launching Race for Life at Home, to help raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
Lena McAllister, 29, discovered a golf ball sized lump in her breast two years ago and was successfully treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and Herceptin – a drug which Cancer Research UK scientists helped to discover.
Now she is inspiring others to Race for Life at home and carry on the fight against the disease in these unprecedented times.
The Carlisle Race for Life is among events which organisers Cancer Research UK have postponed to protect the country’s health during the coronavirus outbreak. The new event will take place on Sunday 23 August at Bitts Park.
But as the nation continues on lockdown, undeterred women and men are already vowing to support the fight against cancer and complete a Race for Life at Home challenge at home, in their garden or their nearest green space, to help raise funds for vital research.
Lena is living proof of how research into cancer saves lives. She was first diagnosed in March 2018 after feeling a lump in her breast.
Lena said: “I was lying in bed one day when I suddenly noticed an unusual lump on my breast. I felt it with the top of my finger and thought it was odd. I mentioned it to my mum straight away, who said I should go to the GP and get checked out.
“I hoped at first that it might be a fatty lump, but the doctor said there was fifty-fifty chance it could be cancer, and that I would need to be referred to hospital for a biopsy and scans.”
Sadly, Lena received the devastating news that she had an advanced form of breast cancer.
She said: “I knew it was bad news when I was told to bring something with me for the results appointment. My mum came along she burst into tears when the doctor said ‘it’s cancer’. Scans showed that the lump was the size of a golf ball and had spread to my lymph nodes too. Doctors thought it had probably been there for a long time.”
Lena had surgery to remove the lump and lymph nodes just weeks later at West Cumberland Hospital, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at Cumberland Infirmary and fourteen months of Herceptin injections – a drug which stops cancer cells from dividing.
She said: “Treatment was really tough but I was determined to stay as positive as possible. Even when the chemo made my hair start falling out, I decided to take control and go for a buzz cut. I went from waist-length hair to rocking a number 3 skinhead look! I’m living proof of someone who’s kicked cancer’s butt.”
Thankfully, Lena is now in remission and living life to the full. But she has an important message for other men and women.
She said: “I really want people to realise that cancer has no age limit. Anyone can get this disease. If you notice any oddity, anything peculiar or any slight change in any part of your body, don’t be shy. Get yourself to a doctor and get checked out. Being quick to react can make all the difference in finding things early.”
This isn’t the first time that Lena had undergone hospital treatment. At the age of eighteen, she was struck 90ft through the air by a 40-tonne lorry, moments after crashing her car. She miraculously survived the accident but was left with a shattered pelvis, broken femur and a spinal cord injury which left her paralysed.
She said: “I’ve been through a lot in my life but I’m definitely a fighter. I had major surgery following the car accident, so when the doctors said I’d need surgery to remove the cancer, I thought ‘bring it on’.”
After recovering from her lumpectomy, Lena also started the process of freezing her eggs before starting chemotherapy treatment.
She said: “Eventually I’d like to start a family and find someone settle down with, so it’s nice to know I have that option for the future. But for now, I’m focusing on enjoying life and spending time with friends and family.”
Lena – who lives next door to her mum and dad on the edge of Carlisle – is currently self-isolating at home and making the most of daily exercise in the nearby countryside.
She said: “I live in a beautiful rural area and have been doing wheelchair pushes up and down the roads. It’s brilliant exercise because it’s so hilly round here! And on a good day I can reach over 5mph.
“I’m also working on with my dumbbells and resistance training with exercise bands. Keeping active is so important, but especially at a time like this.
“I hope that others will be inspired by my story and see how research into cancer really does save lives. I would encourage everyone to support Cancer Research UK and take part in Race for Life at Home if they possibly can.
“We’re all going to be spending a lot of time indoors this spring so it feels good to take back some control and do something positive to help people who are going through cancer now.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring series of 5K, 10K, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.
Thanks to the generosity of people across the North West, Race for Life participants across the region last year raised over £2 million to support vital research to develop gentler and more effective treatments for cancer – a disease that will affect one-in-two people in the UK at some stage in their lives.
Many of the scientists and researchers funded by Cancer Research UK are currently being redeployed to help in the fight against Covid-19, including assisting with testing. By helping to beat coronavirus, the charity can lessen the impact it is having on the care of cancer patients.
Anna Taylor, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Cumbria, said: “Lena’s story is one of hope and inspiration. She is living proof of how research into cancer really does save lives. At a time when it feels like everything is at a standstill, there is one thing that hasn’t stopped, cancer.
“Our priority as a charity is ensuring that people affected by cancer are getting the support they need right now.
“But we are already getting people asking about doing Race for Life at Home because they don’t want to see the charity lose out on vital funding. It’s truly humbling to see the response.
“So from their homes, we’d love for supporters to join us and Race for Life at Home in these challenging times. From a run or 5K walk around the garden to limbo in the living room, there is no wrong way to Race for Life at Home. With no entry fee, people might choose to twerk, limbo, star jump, squat, skip, dance, or come up with their own novel way of taking part and share it with friends. The message is very much that ‘while we might be apart, we’re doing this together’. There is no wrong way to get involved and join our community.
“Those lucky enough to have a garden may choose to make use of it but whatever people decide to do, we are immensely grateful for the support, now more than ever. If the idea takes off, we could be looking at hundreds of people across Cumbria stepping forward to Race for Life at Home and perhaps collecting sponsorship to do so.”
People can visit raceforlife.org and sign up free for ideas on how they can create their own Race for Life at Home challenge. And the Cancer Research UK Race for Life Facebook page will help people feel energised with weekly live workout sessions. Organisers are also inviting participants to join the Race for Life at Home community by sharing photos and videos on social media using the hashtag, #RaceForLifeAtHome.
Every hour five people are diagnosed with cancer in the North West of England*. But the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
Anna continued: “Cancer is still happening right now and we want to do everything we can to help give people more tomorrows with their loved ones.
“At a time when we’re having to keep apart from each other, there is still a way to unite. We’re urging everyone who has supported Race for Life in the past to please continue supporting us. Sadly, cancer touches almost every family at some time.
“Race for Life is a hugely moving experience as people remember loved ones lost to cancer, celebrate the lives of those dear to them who have survived or support those going through treatment.
“We encourage those choosing to Race for Life at Home to participate in whatever way they like and there are lots of ideas on the Race for Life website. We appreciate that the current situation has resulted in financial uncertainty for many people, so people should only contribute sponsor money if they feel able to.”
Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work relies entirely on the public’s generous support. The charity was able to spend over £30 million last year in the North West on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.
A new date for Race for Carlisle has been set for Sunday 23 August.
Participants who have already signed up for a Race for Life event which is now postponed will be contacted directly by the charity. Participants will be transferred to the new date but if a participant is unable to make the new date they can request a refund or donate the entry fee to help fund life-saving cancer research.
Visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770. Join in and share with #RaceForLifeAtHome