Yorkshire Coast Cancer Survivor's World Cancer Day Plea

A Yorkshire Coast cancer survivor, who lost her husband and mum to the disease, is backing a Cancer Research UK campaign to help give hope to future generations.

Alison Lemke, who is in remission from anal and lung cancer, looked after her husband, Ray, who died at home in May 2021 aged 67, following his diagnosis with bowel cancer.

One year later, Alison’s mum, Marjorie Ainsbury, who had mouth and throat cancer, died aged 99.

Sharing her story on World Cancer Day, Alison said she was in shock when she learned she had cancer in August 2019.

“When I got that first diagnosis it was over the phone, on a Friday afternoon and I was at work in a busy office. I went to see my boss in tears and went home.”

After successful treatment, a routine scan in 2020 showed she had developed secondary lung cancer.

Following further treatment and now in remission, Alison, who lives at Gristhorpe, owes her life to progress in cancer research. She hopes that sharing her story will inspire others to mark the awareness day by joining the fight against the disease.

There are around 1,500 new anal cancer cases in the UK every year. Treatment for anal cancer often includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending on the stage at diagnosis. But these can have severe side effects.

Cancer Research UK is personalising treatment for patients. In Leeds, Professor David Sebag-Montefiore is leading three clinical trials to find the best course of treatment for patients with early stage cancer, patients whose cancer hasn’t spread, and patients with advanced cancer.

This could personalise the treatment option for patients, as well as stopping anal cancer returning and reducing side effects for patients.

With around 32,500 people diagnosed with cancer every year in Yorkshire & the Humber, Alison’s message is clear – to save lives tomorrow, Cancer Research UK needs the public’s support today.  

That’s why she’s calling on people across North Yorkshire to give regularly to the charity to help fund long term research projects that could drive new breakthroughs for people like her. Life-saving cancer treatments are made possible by months and months of trialling, testing and learning. But monthly progress in research needs monthly donations.  
 
Alison, a former support worker for people caring for someone at home, said:  

“I’m sure we would all love to see cancer gone but this won’t be possible without the dedication of scientists who are relentlessly striving towards new milestones month after month. They need our support.

“We know that one in two people will get it, so we need people to have the skills, the technology and the equipment to try to stop it.

“I want to be able to contribute to the cause. All this research and training and equipment costs money. Without the money the whole thing would stop.”

Alison became aware something was wrong after experiencing bleeding from her back passage. Believing she had piles, she put off seeking medical advice.

But with worsening symptoms, Alison went to her GP surgery where she was told she had a growth and was referred to York Hospital the same day.  

The initial diagnosis was confirmed at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds. Initially identified as a stage 4 tumour, it was later downgraded to stage 3.

Alison was treated with 28 sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. While she was going through her ordeal, she began to be concerned about Ray, noticing that as soon as he dropped her at the hospital, he needed to dash off to a loo.

He suggested to Alison that they tried different diets but they didn’t help:

“He was buying all sorts of things online, solutions and vitamins and stuff like this. I thought there’s something wrong here.

“I said I think you should see a doctor. Ray always thought he could fix himself. Then we had arguments. He said it’s my body, I’ll do what I want.

“He was getting worse, I could see he was losing weight. Towards the end of 2020 it had got really bad. He didn’t go out. He was miserable and he was grumpy.”

Ray eventually saw a doctor and was referred to hospital. During this time and after 25 years together, Ray proposed to Alison and they were married in December 2020.

Alison said:

“He got himself a new suit from Next and he looked really smart. It was an ordeal for him but we got through it. In January 2021 he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.”

Ray had a stoma bag fitted to relieve the pressure on the tumour so he could have treatment. Meanwhile, Alison received another blow, when a regular scan showed she had secondary lung cancer and she began more radiotherapy at Leeds.

But despite everything the couple was going through, Alison refused to take it personally:

“It was Ray who voiced that. Why us? We’ve been good, honest people. We’ve worked all our lives, why is this happening to us? I said it’s random Ray, it’s a parasite, it doesn’t know your name and it doesn’t care, it will live off you. It’s rogue cells, that’s what it’s all about.”

Although Ray had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, doctors were unable to operate and he died at home.

Ray had recently retired from his work as an agricultural engineer. Well known and with a lot of friends, Alison said he loved to play jokes, such as turning up to a friend’s house in a Gallagher brothers-style wig and keeping a straight face all evening.

“Before he was poorly he was a joker. He was very honourable and very kind. He loved wildlife, he was a big fundraiser for WWF and he loved living here.

“He was a deep thinker, he read widely and he was keen to learn. We used to sit in the garden and have a glass of wine in the summer. He was lovely, we had a lovely life here.”

Alison faced a further bereavement when her much-loved mum, Marjorie, died at home in Scarborough in 2022. Unfortunately, her age prevented her from taking up palliative treatment.

Alison is now a regular giver to Cancer Research UK and said her motivation is to stop anyone from going through what she’s been through. She wants to encourage people to seek medical advice if they have symptoms, so they can benefit from treatment:
 
“If I had been diagnosed with cancer ten or 20 years ago, the outcome might not have been the same for me and that’s down to research.

“I think Ray had probably had cancer for a year or more before he went to the doctor. If your body starts doing things you don’t expect, you really need to consider doing something about it. The worst thing you can do is do nothing.

“There is so much treatment available now. By donating monthly to Cancer Research UK, people across Yorkshire could help give hope to families like mine and save lives for generations to come.”  

Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years. 

Its research has led to more than 50 cancer drugs used across the UK - and around the world - from widely used chemotherapies to new-generation precision treatments. Drugs linked to the charity are used to treat more than 125,000 patients in the UK every year – that’s three out of every four patients who receive cancer drugs on the NHS.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for North Yorkshire Michaela Robinson-Tate said: 

“This World Cancer Day, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to our customers, donors and supporters like Alison. Thanks to their generosity and commitment to the cause, we’ve been at the forefront of cancer research for over 120 years and we’re not stopping now. 

“Regular giving is crucial to our work, because it means we can fund long term research – research that could lead to new discoveries about cancer and unlock new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat it. 

“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime**, but all of us can help beat it. So, we hope more people across North Yorkshire will donate monthly - if they can. We’re working towards a world where we can all live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer."

Cancer Research UK was able to spend more than £6 million in Yorkshire last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.