“ Because my father , not only did he walk again but he could nearly beat me at cross country because he was so determined ,” she said .
She added : “ I got that from my dad because there was no such a thing as giving up . I never have time for whiners .
“ Whining doesn ’ t make anything better , it just makes you feel bad and everybody around you worse .”
Ms Torrens said she “ truly believes ” that the research will outlive her once she dies , and encouraged others in her position to donate their biological samples for research .
Alison Torrens has left a gift in her will to Queen ’ s University Belfast ( Liam McBurney / PA )
“ I think it would be a proud moment too , that somebody from the Queen ’ s Research Centre could maybe discover something that would be mammoth in the fight for cancer in general , not just my rare cancer but any cancer .
“ So as you sit there and you ’ ve been given really bad news that your time ’ s up , think about the person whose time isn ’ t up yet and offer your cells and sign on that little piece of paper .”
The research project will be carried out at PGJCCR at Queen ’ s , and will explore why ACC can become resistant to treatment and identify characteristics of the cancer cells that may allow for more targeted and effective treatment .
Alison Torrens wants to help fund a research project into adenoid cystic carcinoma ( ACC ) ( Liam McBurney / PA )