13-year-old Alice, who has always had a passion for science and research, was devastated to lose two of her beloved grandparents in the space of just five weeks in 2021. After asking herself the question: “how can we cure cancer?”, Alice got in touch with Worldwide Cancer Research to help her put together a school project on the subject.
I am very lucky to have known my nanny and grandad for so long, because some people do not have that experience. Hopefully research can bring new cures so other children can spend many more years with their grandparents. I miss them both so much. I know they are looking down on me and will be extremely proud of me. They motivate me to do my best in everything I do.
In December last year Alice jumped at the chance to meet a team of our researchers at University College London.
Having heard about Alice's passion for cancer research, Dr Jamie Dean was delighted to be able to share an opportunity to visit his lab and hear more about his research. He and his team are working on tackling glioblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer, by understanding how giving radiotherapy with particular time intervals between doses can make the treatment more effective.
Like Alice, Dr Dean has also personally felt the impact of cancer, which was one of the driving forces behind him getting into research too:
"The reason I decided to go into cancer research is partly personal, my grandfather and father have both had different cancers. But, beyond that, cancer is such an important problem worldwide and it is only going to become a bigger problem as more people are surviving and living through other diseases."
I am sure as long as there are a few Alices out there, we will be in good hands for the future. It is really exciting and great to see Alice's enthusiasm for cancer research. As a supporter of Worldwide Cancer Research, she does so much to help fund the multidisciplinary research that we do, and research is the only way in which we can improve outcomes for people with cancer in the future.
Seeing our work up close has further inspired Alice and spurred her on to become a researcher one day.
I felt very much at home in the lab. It was everything I had imagined, and yet so much more. I was overwhelmed at first, but in a good way.
Touring the labs, everything was new and exciting. I had not seen a centrifuge before and the Bunsen burners were extremely high tech compared to the ones I use at school.
I was able to see and learn so much. I felt extremely lucky to see these areas and to have a close-up view of science research, which is something I think about so much.
My passion will continue to grow going forwards and I will take every opportunity available. Finding cures for cancer is my dream.
You don't have to be a cancer researcher to help us reach a day when no life is cut short by cancer. Everyone can play their own role in bringing forward cancer breakthroughs. We cannot stop cancer without you.
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