Leeds cancer survivor takes the lead to support charity's life-saving mission

Ellie Coopland from Methley is inviting people to sign up now and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in March to support the charity’s life-saving mission.

And to prove it can be a walk in the park, the 23-year-old has teamed up with her trusty two-year-old Wirehaired Viszla to encourage people to commit to take part and start raising money for research into cancer.

Ellie, who lost all four of her grandparents to cancer, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2018 and knows first-hand just how important new breakthroughs and discoveries are to help more people like her survive.

People can tackle the Walk All Over Cancer challenge in their own way, taking part on their own or getting their pet pooches to join them.

Ellie said: “I got Fellman as an eight-week-old puppy in May 2019, and teaching and walking with him has been a big part of my recovery from cancer. He got his name because before just before I was diagnosed, I’d started climbing fells - that all had to stop when I became ill.

But since finishing my treatment, he’s really helped me feel better, both physically and mentally, walking miles together in and around Yorkshire. And it has been especially important to me to be back outside with him after shielding during Covid.”

It was back in October 2017 when Ellie, then only 20 years old, first noticed unusual pressure on her throat and a pea sized bump in the space between her collarbones. The bump started to get bigger over the following months, but despite visits to her GP, they were unable to work out exactly what it was. Then swallowing and breathing became harder and another lump appeared on the side of her neck.

Ellie said: “I was now feeling much worse. In April 2018 I was referred to Pinderfields Hospital and had lots of tests, including a biopsy of the mass in the front of my throat. A few days later I went back for the results, taking my mum, Alison, with me. That’s when they told me I had cancer. We just looked at each other in astonishment as cancer hadn’t been mentioned before. But at the same time, I was relieved to be finally told what it actually was.”

Ellie was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. It is rare, with around 2,100 people diagnosed in the UK each year. As the mass had grown so big she could barely breathe, she was admitted to the Leeds Cancer Centre to start chemotherapy straight away. She added: “I was sick for the first few days of each cycle and was so tired I couldn’t get out of bed. My hair started to fall out and eventually I had it all shaved off.”

The chemotherapy continued for seven months and thankfully she didn’t need any other treatment. Chemo finished in November 2018, and a scan gave her the good news was she was clear of cancer. But Ellie was warned her recovery could actually be harder than the treatment, and she suffered with fatigue and the physiological impact.

Ellie said: “I was so tired and felt ill every day, and terrified that the cancer would come back. I went back to work as a veterinary receptionist in January 2019. The fatigue was relentless, but even after trying different roles at work, by Christmas I came to the realisation I couldn’t cope, and left.”

Now Ellie is working in a GP surgery only 10 minutes from her house, doing a job that is less intense and stressful, but had to take some time off work when the pandemic started last year.

“For four months I was shielding and didn’t leave the house; I just did yoga at home to keep active. But I decided my mental health was important, so I went back out for walks at sunset, when less people were about. Now Fellman and I are trying to build up the miles again, so the Walk All Over Cancer Challenge is a great motivation.”

Ellie said: “It was devastating when I was told I had cancer. All four of my grandparents died from cancer yet nothing can prepare you for those words. But thanks to research, I’m still here today and can go on spending time with Fellman, my family and friends. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone in Leeds to step up to the Walk All Over Cancer challenge this March.”

By raising vital funds, people across the region could help to get vital research back on track after the impact of COVID-19.

Nicki Embleton, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Yorkshire, said: “We’re really grateful for Ellie and Fellman’s support, and we hope lots of people will be inspired to follow in their footsteps.”

“We all want 2021 to have a more positive outlook. So why not give your activity a boost by having an achievable goal to aim for - all in aid of a good cause. Signing up to Walk All Over Cancer is a safe and simple way to show support during these challenging times. Plus, knowing you’ll be helping to save lives is the ultimate motivation.”

There are plenty of positive health benefits too. As well as helping towards a healthy body weight, regular walking is a great stress-reliever and can assist with mental wellbeing by improving mood and sleep.

Ten thousand steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides, so by the end of March participants will have clocked up more than 150 miles. That’s quite a challenge for some, but adopting small changes that you can stick to can really add up – whether it’s taking part in conference calls on the go, exploring local beauty spots or treating the dog to a month of extra-long walks.

Keeping check on the number of steps taken each day is a great way to create a sense of achievement and it’s easy to do with smartphone apps, pedometers and wearable activity trackers available to help. Walk All Over Cancer is now integrated with FitBit, so that participants can automatically publish their step count on their fundraising page throughout the month.

Nicki added: “With around 31,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year in Yorkshire and The Humber *, Cancer Research UK is working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.

“The truth is COVID-19 has slowed us down, but we will never stop striving to create better treatments for tomorrow. Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters. That’s why we need everyone to step up to Walk All Over Cancer.”

Cancer Research UK currently funds almost half of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK and is the only UK charity fighting more than 200 types of cancer. Before the pandemic, it was able to spend over £5 million in Yorkshire last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

To sign up and receive a free fundraising pack, with tips and ideas to help with the challenge, visit: cruk.org/walkalloverParticipants are being encouraged to use #WalkAllOverCancer and tag @CR_UK when sharing their challenge on social media.

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