How Yorkshire’s cancer champions are redefining heroism – The Yorkshire Post says

WHEN Yorkshire racing legend, Bob Champion, was diagnosed with cancer exactly 40 years ago, the hardest thing, he said, was the lack of heroic survivors who could help inspire his recovery.
By YP Comment
Published 15th Sep 2019, 11:25 BST
Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.
Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.

Yet, as a result of his emotional Grand National win in 1981, he has raised more than £15m for lifesaving medical research.

The NHS at 70: How Grand National cancer hero Bob Champion paid back his debt to the doctors who saved his life by raising £15m

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And while new data this week revealed how the diagnosis of the most serious cancers still lags behind other countries, it is equally important that this is set in the context of the extraordinary work being undertaken in this region’s hospitals.

Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.
Bob Champion's Grand National win on Aldaniti in 1981 has inspired many in the fight against cancer.

Yorkshire teenager refusing to be defined by cancer battle

Take Francesca Taylor-Draper. Reduced to a ‘bag of bones’ by chemotherapy treatment, the teenager couldn’t bear to hear the C-word mentioned in her presence. Now she is on the road to recovery and refuses to be known as ‘that girl with cancer’. The illness, she adds, does not define her. It has only made her stronger – champion qualities which can only help inspire future patients as the true meaning of ‘heroism’ is redefined.

Related topics:Bob ChampionNHSYorkshire PostYorkshireGrand National