Lynda's helping memories and Mary Poppins at Relay for Life Luton
Lynda Bowman, 67, is one of the organisers of the VIP survivors’ tea at Cancer Research UK Relay for Life Luton, which will see survivors of the disease – and those still battling it – attend a special afternoon lunch on Saturday.
Lynda herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2014, but after an operation and radiotherapy is doing well, three years into her five year tablet treatment.
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Hide AdHowever, Lynda sadly lost her husband, Geoff, age 62, in January 2011, after he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, the cancer spreading to other parts of his body.
Lynda said: “I felt numb when I was intitially diagnosed – we’d been there and done that with Geoff.
“When we went to the Relay for Life, Geoff didn’t like the word ‘survivor’ – it was more about stopping his cancer in its path; we knew that ultimately it wouldn’t be cured, so we wrote ‘surviv-ING’ on his tshirt!
“People’s reasons for enjoying the relay are individual to each person; it can be just a thank you, or to raise money - there’s not many people who aren’t touched by cancer.”
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Hide AdGeoff’s two daughters, Claire and Tanya, enjoyed dressing up at Relay for Life, and their parents have been supporting the relay for nearly 10 years, the family becoming part of the organisers of the survivors’ VIP tea in 2014.
The event sees teams of friends and families complete a 24-hour relay at Stockwood Athletics Centre on September 16 and 17 with stalls, fun, and live music for the public.
At 12noon the VIP survivors will kick off the relay with one honorary lap before enjoying their special tea in a Mary Poppins themed tent! The last day to register as a VIP survivor is tomorrow.
> To register, call Lynda on 0755 7734089.