Teen cancer survivor urges people to donate their clothes to raise money for Cancer Research

Teenager cancer survivor from Boldon Colliery, Lilly Slater, is urging people to donate their clothes to TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes For Good campaign, in support of cancer research.
Lily Slater, 15Lily Slater, 15
Lily Slater, 15

Lilly Slater, 15 from Boldon Colliery was successfully treated for a brain tumour when she was only three-years-old, after being diagnosed with medulloblastoma which affects around 55 children every year in the UK.

Shirley Slater, 50, said: “All in the matter of a week our lives were turned upside down. We were told Lily had cancer, she went in for an eight-hour operation to remove the tumour and just two days later I gave birth to her sister Poppy. It was all so much to take in and I don’t quite know how we coped looking back.”

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The surgery successfully removed the tumour, and Lily underwent months of treatment including six weeks of radio therapy and 14 months of chemotherapy.

Lily Slater, 3Lily Slater, 3
Lily Slater, 3

Shirley added: “Lily really went through it with her treatment with numerous procedures, scans, lumbar punctures, general anaesthetics, having septicaemia twice, the list goes on and on. But she remained happy and bubbly throughout and actually enjoyed her time in hospital. Sadly she made friends along the way who weren’t as fortunate and we are always so grateful that her treatment was a success.”

Lily and her family are now encouraging the public to donate to help more children and young people survive cancer by donating their pre-loved clothes and support TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes For Good campaign. Every bag donated to cancer research could raise up to £30, in 2004 the campaign raised £32.5 million to cancer research and is their biggest corporate supporter.

Shirley said: “Unfortunately as a result of the treatment Lily has short term memory problems and we recently found out she also has damaged hearing due to the radiotherapy.

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“We know first-hand how important research is in helping to save more lives but also to make treatments kinder to reduce the impact of treatment and the long-term side effects. That’s why raising money and supporting Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People is so important to us.”

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