TV presenter Laura Boyd is marking a decade since her cancer diagnosis, teaming up with a top Glasgow scientist to Stand Up To Cancer in Scotland.
The 38-year-old broadcaster, a well-known face on STV, said: “Research is key to me being alive today. Until I was diagnosed, I didn’t even think about it. But once cancer affects you, or a family member, it becomes so important to you. And you realise how vital fundraising is to the scientists doing that work.
“I owe my life to the researchers because they’re constantly coming up with new ways and new drugs to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia or CML. With this type of cancer, you can become immune to the medication that you’re on. But luckily, the science is advancing all the time so there are other new drugs to try. I know of someone who was diagnosed 20 years ago with the same type of cancer as me, and she’s no longer with us because the research wasn’t there, the drugs weren’t there. I just think I’m in such a lucky position.”
Scientist Mhairi, who is also a blood cancer doctor based at the Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre at the University of Glasgow, is leading a study with funding from Stand Up To Cancer to test new treatment options for CML and develop a blood test to monitor the disease.
She said: “Our hope is that this study will help more patients with difficult-to-treat CML to survive and give them more time with their families with better quality of life.”
From climbing Ben Nevis, to open water swimming, to abseiling down the Wallace Monument, Laura says living with cancer has given her a new appreciation for life – and she is always first and last on the dancefloor. And now, ten years since she first heard doctors say the word ‘cancer’, Laura is looking forward to an exciting new chapter in her life. With the help of a surrogate, she and her husband are expecting their first baby.
For Laura to carry a pregnancy herself she would need to stop taking her medication, putting her at risk of her cancer growing. A family member came forward with the offer to be a surrogate, and the couple will become parents to a daughter in December. Laura said: “We are absolutely overjoyed. It’s something I always wanted, but I always put it to the back of my mind because of my cancer. I’m so looking forward to being a mum, it gives me something to live for.”
Together, Laura and Mhairi are calling on you to Stand Up To Cancer with them.
Cancer is unforgiving, unpredictable and relentless. By raising cash, we can beat cancer at its own game. 100% of the money you raise goes towards vital cancer research.
