This year I will be taking part in Courage on the Catwalk at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom on the 6th and 7th May alongside another 23 amazingly strong and brave women who have also faced a cancer or haematology diagnosis. I feel honoured to have been picked to take part in such a huge event and can’t believe it’s taken a cancer diagnosis to get me my modelling debut 🤣

As most people will know I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in January 2021 and had an operation at the end of March the same year to remove the cancer. As a result of the operation I now live with a permanent stoma, the operation was successful and I will be monitored with scans, blood tests and colonoscopies for 5 years. I am also hoping by taking part in COTC that it will raise awareness that anyone can be diagnosed with any cancer at any age but more importantly to show that life goes on with and after a cancer diagnosis and although it’s a long and difficult road, it is possible to do the things you want to do and enjoy life. I’m also keen to show that you can wear what you want with a stoma - which is something many cancer patients are left with and by talking openly about it, hopefully help to break the stigma around stomas. 

Every penny of your donation will go to Friends of ANCHOR, and more specifically the ANCHORED Together appeal: the charity’s commitment to raise £2million for additional extras within the ANCHOR centre, which is currently under construction and due to open this year. 

The ANCHOR Unit is a collective of specialised wards and clinics within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - the central hub of cancer and haematology care for the North-east of Scotland. Friends of ANCHOR are a local charity that offer person centred well-being services, freely available to every patient, with programmes also available for the staff caring for them. They invest in medical equipment and pioneering research to push the boundaries in how they diagnose, treat and care for people, while their pledge to promote clinical excellence included funded development programmes for NHS clinical staff to enhance knowledge and expertise. Friends of ANCHOR’s founding aim was, and remains to this day, to provide the best possible treatment, care and support to patients. An extremely worthwhile cause and a charity a high number of us will have involvement in given that 1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with cancer. 

All of Friends of ANCHOR's overheads are covered by local company Balmoral Group, so you can be rest assured that 100% of your donation will go exactly where it needs to. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.