Yorkshire mum battling cancer become first Leeds Cares Hospital Hero

Lucy Guiry and her friend Kerry Yeo have been named the first ‘Hospital Heroes’ by Leeds Cares after pledging to take on as many fundraising challenges as possible in 2020 for the hospital charity.

In January 2013, Lucy, 28, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma after a mole on her thigh began to grow and change in appearance. Lucy was transferred to St James’s Hospital in Leeds, where she was told the mole was cancerous and had begun to spread to her lymph nodes. Thankfully, Lucy was able to have an operation to remove the cancer.

Unfortunately, that was just the start of Lucy’s journey after her cancer continued to return in the same place over the next six years.

Whilst still undergoing her immunotherapy treatment, in January 2018 Lucy discovered that she was pregnant but was worried that it might not be safe for her to have the baby.

“I was so relieved when the doctors told me that everything was okay, and I could go ahead with the pregnancy. We were so blessed to welcome Eadie, our ‘miracle’, into our lives in August 2018.”

Lucy had two more significant recurrences of melanoma and in October 2019 doctors warned her that it may be difficult to operate again if her cancer reoccurred.

Devastatingly, in April 2020 Lucy discovered she had a lump on her shoulder and scans revealed that her cancer had returned not only to her leg but also to her shoulder, liver, pancreas, and pelvic lymph nodes.

“When the cancer came back in the same place it never felt like a major setback, we remained positive. When I discovered it had spread this year and was stage four, it felt out of my control. It’s even scarier because I have Eadie now, she’s only two so she doesn’t understand that mummy is poorly.”

Throughout this year, Lucy and Kerry have done whatever they can to raise funds, including virtual bingo, an eight-hour tennis marathon, ‘Pantry in the Porch’, an Ullswater Cross lake swim and the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

Thanks to their dedication to fundraising, despite the coronavirus outbreak, Lucy and Kerry have so far raised more than £10,000 to support NHS staff, patients and families at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

“Fundraising is a really positive coping strategy for me, Kerry and I have put all our energy into it, driven by the knowledge that the money we raise will benefit patients like me.”

For more information visit leeds-cares.org/hospital-hero/

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.