Cancer survivor appeals for donations to help charity

A WARRINGTON man, who was diagnosed with cancer after spotting a lump which grew quickly and spread around his testicle, is appealing for donations to help Cancer Research UK tackle a devastating loss of research funding caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oliver Roper-Browning owes his life to research and improved treatments after being told he had advanced testicular cancer in April 2018, at the age of 24.
He said: “When I was told I had cancer it felt like the biggest kick in the face. The doctors started talking about things like chemotherapy, hair loss and infertility – and it was just so overwhelming and hard to take everything in. I was in the prime of my life and couldn’t help thinking ‘why me?’”
Thanks to successful chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumour, the 27-year-old is now living cancer-free and is also celebrating the happy news that he is about to become a dad through IVF treatment.
Oliver’s experience means that he’s determined to help protect people with cancer from the heart-breaking fall-out of the pandemic. With fundraising down, Cancer Research UK is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income this year, which is putting future breakthroughs at risk for people like him.
The charity has already had to make the difficult decision to cut £44 million on research, but this is likely to be just the beginning – and Oliver is urging people in Warrington to act now in the run up to Christmas.
Oliver said: “Having cancer took a lot out of me both mentally and physically and was one of the toughest times of my life. There were days when I hit rock bottom as my appearance changed dramatically and I lost a lot of weight. At times I didn’t even recognise myself in the mirror.
“But thankfully the treatment worked. I’m here to tell the tale and will always be extremely grateful for that. I’ve got my future back and even get to become a dad next year, which is amazing.”
Oliver’s experience also inspired him to have a career change. In January this year he left his job in IT to re-train as a support assistant at the Christie Hospital in Manchester where he works with cancer patients who are having radiotherapy.
He said: “After going through cancer treatment myself, I realised I wanted to do something to give back and applied for the role helping cancer patients prepare for proton beam radiotherapy. Every day I get to share my own experiences of cancer and help those patients who are going through it now.
“It’s thanks to research and improved treatments that I’ve been given this second chance, and more precious time with my friends 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’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 across Warrington will be inspired by the Cancer Research UK’s determination to carry on beating cancer and give what they can. They could give hope to people like me and that’s what Christmas is all about.”
Donate now at cruk.org/give