You're Amazing (Summer/Autumn 2018) | Page 4

Alison’s gift Alison Fielding has made the wonderful decision of leaving a gift in her will, to show thanks for the care she receives at Guy’s Hospital for kidney cancer. She tells us her story and explains the reasons behind her decision. “I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2014. It was found when I was being investigated for a heart transplant. The large kidney tumour was impacting my heart and had already spread. I was offered treatment that was high-risk due to the poor condition of my heart. Before being referred to the Guy’s Urology team I was feeling ‘written off’, so it was refreshing to be given an opportunity. I was helped to understand the risks and possible benefits and to make plans for any complications. I survived and have thrived in the subsequent four years. To begin with I did some fundraising with friends, but I knew that I could make the biggest difference with a gift in my will. I decided to nominate the TOUR (Translational Oncology and Urology Research) team at Guy’s Cancer to receive this. The large numbers of patients seen at Guy’s makes it an ideal centre to combine care and research. I wanted to help the team to establish themselves as a research centre in this area. We all know that tragedy can happen to anyone at any time, so please do something about one thing you can control and make updating or making your will a priority. It gives me peace of mind to know that my wishes will be carried out after my death and that I can make a real difference to the thousands of people with urological cancers that will come after me.” Find out more about Alison’s story and how you can leave a gift in your will at: supportgstt.org.uk/alison 4