A Darlington woman who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 25 is backing Cancer Research UK’s campaign for World Cancer Day and is urging everyone to join her by wearing the charity’s Unity Band on February 4.
Emma receiving treatment 
Emma in hospital
Emma Burrow, 33, is wearing one of the brightly coloured wristbands to show solidarity with other people diagnosed with cancer.
The Unity Band is available in three different colours – pink, navy and blue. It can be worn in memory of a loved one, to celebrate people who’ve overcome cancer or in support of those going through treatment.
Every hour, around 2 people are diagnosed with the disease in the North East.*
By making a donation for a Unity Band, people across the region will be raising money for life-saving research which will help give people, like Emma, more precious time with their loved ones and living life to the full.
Thanks to progress in cancer research, Emma is here today and is keen to make the most of her life. She spends her spare time volunteering in the Cancer Research UK shop on Post House Wynd, Darlington. She also works full time at North East Ambulance Service as a Research and Development Administrator and Ambulance Liaison Assistant.
Emma was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma eight years ago. She relapsed three times in total and has had four rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants – one in 2012 using her own stem cells and another in 2015, using cells from a donor. Emma relapsed soon after this treatment and was told that her cancer was terminal. However, she’s now been in remission for three years.
Emma explained: “I had palliative chemotherapy, which actually put me in remission. I have suffered lots of side effects from treatment, which led to me having six joint replacements. I’ve had both hips and shoulders replaced, my right left knee and left elbow. At some point I’ll need my right knee and elbow replacing.
“It’s fair to say that things were tough, emotional and stressful. Sometimes everything felt impossible and as if everything that could go wrong did go wrong. There were many times that I felt like giving up. I lost my marriage, my home, my job, my independence and my confidence. I pushed my friends and family away and isolated myself because I had nothing to feel positive about.
“It’s been a long, slow and difficult recovery, but I am now rebuilding my life. I’ve slowly built up my strength and confidence. I have a fantastic new job – to work for the ambulance service has always been a dream job of mine. I never thought after everything that has happened that I would be able to pursue that dream. I feel very lucky and I’m loving every minute of it.
“I love volunteering at my local Cancer Research UK shop – the manager Val, the staff and volunteers are really friendly and supportive, I’ve also rebuilt my relationships with my friends and family and am thrilled to be studying a degree.
“Despite what I’ve been through, I wouldn’t change anything that has happened to me, because it genuinely has made me a stronger person. I have such a better outlook on life now. I still have lasting side effects from things that have happened, physically and mentally, but I won’t let that stop me from living my life to the full because I have learned how quickly it can be taken away.
“It would have been so much easier to just give up in the darkest times, but I refused to let cancer get the better of me. I refused to let it beat me.
“I was very fortunate to benefit from the amazing research which led to the treatments I had, which put me into remission. I love volunteering at my local Cancer Research UK Shop because I am so grateful for the second, third and fourth chance they gave me at life.
“When you’re at your lowest, experiencing some of the worst things life can throw at you, it is almost impossible to think positive and see a future. But it is possible. I stood up to cancer and I’m passionate about supporting Cancer Research UK with the amazing work they do.
“I’ve had several drugs that Cancer Research UK scientists have been crucial in developing during my course of treatments, including carboplatin and etoposide.”
Cancer Research UK scientists discovered and developed carboplatin (Paraplatin), one of the most successful cancer drugs ever developed. It helps to successfully treat patients with ovarian, head, neck and lung cancer as well as many children with cancer.
Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development carried out some of the first clinical trials of etoposide. Today it is mainly used to treat lung and testicular cancers, helping to save lives.
Darlington charity shop manager Val Trotter, who has worked at the shop for 17 years added: “Emma is a true inspiration and lives life to the full, spending time helping others. She shows just how our research saves lives. That’s why we’re urging everyone in the North East to wear a Unity Band on World Cancer Day – it’s a fantastic opportunity to raise money for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work. Just by wearing a Unity Band, everyone can help make a real difference to people with cancer.”
Marked on February 4, World Cancer Day is designed to raise awareness of cancer and to promote its prevention, detection and treatment.
One in two people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lifetime.
The good news is, thanks to research, more people are surviving than ever before. Survival has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
But the charity needs everyone to act right now to help speed up life-saving advances.
Jaelithe Leigh-Brown, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North East, said: “We are very grateful to Emma for her support and showing how important it is for everyone to wear a Unity Band on World Cancer Day. It is a powerful accessory in the fight against the disease.
“We’re working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. But we can’t do it alone.
“By making a donation of just £2, people in the region will be able to help fund world-class cancer research to help more people, like Emma, survive. Together, we will beat cancer.”
Unity Bands are available in all Cancer Research UK shops across the North East and online at cruk.org/worldcancerday