Danielle's Story
Dear Supporter,
Seventeen years ago, my Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time she was running her own dance school and I was a 20-year old dance student training at the Royal Academy of Dance.
Chemotherapy in those days was even more frightening and debilitating than it is now. However, somehow she managed to run the school throughout treatment with my help at weekends and with the love and enormous support of family and friends, she got through it.
To my Mum’s great joy after I qualified, we went on to work together every day, running the Dance School and Performing Arts Courses for children.
In May 2005 at the age of 35, I too was diagnosed with breast cancer. My Mum’s past bravery and positive attitude helped me to fight this terrible disease and now I am a survivor.
When my treatment finally finished, we both felt very strongly that we had to do something specific to try and raise money towards breast cancer research and treatment.
As qualified dance and performing arts teachers and having worked with children and with the theatre for so many years, we decided that a ‘One Night Only’ West End Variety show involving professionals and children was the way forward.
We were just about to take the next steps in our project when, to our family’s total distress, our Mum was diagnosed with primary lung cancer. It is inoperable and incurable, but hopefully treatable with more chemotherapy. My brave Mum is still utterly determined to go ahead with our dream – to raise money for breast cancer research and to realise many children’s dreams of performing on a West End stage.
Most importantly, it gave us a focus and Mum a purpose to fight for her life.
We have the backing of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and all the money raised from this event will go towards research to understand why breast cancers sometimes spread to other parts of the body and to develop new treatments that block the spread of the disease.
I know with your support we can make this happen and together we can make a difference.
Yours very sincerely,
Danielle Leslie
