A young cancer patient who grew up to work for the charity that saved her life is now planning on tackling a major run to raise money for the hospital.

Lea Abell, from Failsworth, was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma cancer when she was just 17 years old in March 2017.

The youngster was treated at The Christie Hospital in the TYA (teenage and young adult) unit with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

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Fortunately, Lea was told her treatment was successful 18 months later in September 2018.

She then decided, after all the support and care from The Christie, that she wanted to be a part of it herself and successfully applied to work for the charity's events team.

Now, the 24-year-old has announced she will taking on the Great Manchester Run for the first time on Sunday, May 26, to raise vital funds for the charity where she works.

The Christie Charity fundraises for vital new projects, such as a new cancer centre in Macclesfield and a new world-class transformational research facility.

The charity has more than 50,000 supporters who helped raise £23m last year which goes towards supporting patients at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

The specialist cancer centre in Manchester is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, being home to the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK, treating more than 60,000 patients a year and combining more than 120 years of expertise in cancer care, research and education.

Lea said she was inspired to join the charity team - and sign up for the 10km distance - after receiving expert care and support as a young cancer patient.

The young woman said: "The TYA, where do start? They are absolutely amazing.

"Every single member of staff from Julie the receptionist to Hanna Simpson, the head nurse and all of the other doctors and nurses were incredible.

"They make you feel so at home, and they support you mentally and physically thorough treatment - they are all so positive, so you don't feel like you’re going there for cancer treatment.

"I really wouldn't have got through it if it wasn't for the people there, so I owe them everything.

"Hanna and Julie always went out of their way to check up on me and tried to make my days better in any way they could, and I'll never forget that.”

While Lea only recently started her running journey this year, she attended the Great Manchester Run in 2023 and thought "it was such a brilliant day that I decided I wanted to take part myself and raise funds for The Christie Charity where I work".

At the time of writing, Lea has raised more than £600 on her JustGiving crowdfunding page.

Taking on the race will be a huge achievement for her, but she has plenty of people supporting her in her corner.

She added: "My immediate family includes my mum Nicola, my dad Gary, and my brother and sister Jake and Sophia who were all there for me during treatment, and they will be there on the day of the Great Manchester Run to cheer me on alongside my other family members and friends."

Lindsey Farthing, mass participation events development manager at The Christie Charity, added: “Lea is a valuable member of our team and we’re all really touched that she has chosen to run the Manchester 10K for our charity.

"To have a member of staff in our team that has been treated at The Christie and wants to give something back to the organisation that saved her life is really special for us all.

"We couldn’t be prouder of her and we wish her all the very best.”

To donate to Lea's JustGiving page, visit this link https://www.justgiving.com/page/lea-abell-1713449598907 or search "Lea's fundraiser for THE CHRISTIE CHARITY".

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