Jacqui's Million: Meet the terminally ill Leeds Cancer Centre patient with a £1m dream who is 'walking on water'

Jacqui, aged 59, had surgery to remove melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, back in 1993. She was clear of cancer for over 15 years before a lump appeared in the same place in 2009.

The melanoma spread to her lungs and in 2015, Jacqui had her right lung removed and almost lost her life. She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “My original oncologist once said 'working on a law of averages, we wouldn't have estimated you to be here by 2013’, and here I am. He said to my friend 'she's walking on water, you know'. It was pretty heavy, I was on treatment and things got rocky – at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, I was particularly bad and to be honest, I nearly died. It was at that time, I felt I needed to do something for the hospital.”

Jacqui is terminally ill, although this is not reflected in her spirit. She remains a vocal and active supporter of Leeds Cancer Centre, a place she has developed a special connection over the years she has spent there as a patient. Jacqui, from Bradford, is the driving force behind ‘Jacqui’s Million’, a campaign to raise £1m for Leeds Cancer Centre, which is supported by Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Jacqui said: "From the minute you walk in, you don't feel like you're in a hospital. It's like getting a big hug. From the minute I was referred there in 2010, I knew I was in safe hands. I call it my safe place. That might sound silly when you're talking about a cancer centre but I know that I owe them an awful lot.

"When I tell people I'm terminally ill with stage four cancer and they look at me, they nearly fall over because I look so well. One of the reasons for that is I get the best care and I have done for the past 12 years at the Leeds Cancer Centre.

"I was naïve, fundraising was not something I'd really been involved in, but I thought I could use my story to help the hospital. I was thinking originally I could raise £250,000. Then I thought, if I could reach out to a million people and they all gave a pound, then the job would be done. That was either naïve or conceited because clearly it doesn't happen like that and I soon realised that.

"I'm happy to use my story to generate money for the hospital. I stage events, I do my own merchandise. People ask how I've brought that much money in, I say I'm lucky to have good support. It feels like it's on a roll, it's taken on a life of its own. It's full on, absolutely non-stop.”

Jacqui’s fundraising tally is currently sitting on just over £348,000, but the million-pound mark remains the target. She said: "Jacqui's Million touches people because it's a personal story and people can relate to that . They also know where the money is going. It started off with raising money and it certainly is about raising money because Jacqui’s Million provides things that the NHS can’t provide. We’re very fortunate to have it but it can’t provide everything. We recently funded the role of a bereavement nurse for a year, that's just one thing we've done. The money is working so hard.

"I’m also doing a lot of peer support – I have a radio show called ‘Cancer Journeys’ where I interview people who have had cancer, clinicians and all sorts of different people. I’m doing one-to-one at the hospital as well and I think the peer support gives people hope. You can live a positive life with cancer.”

Donations can be made to Jacqui’s Million campaign via JustGiving. She recently spoke about her journey as part of Leeds Hospitals Charity’s World Cancer Day stories project.