Neil’s Story

Neil lives with his wife and kids in north London. His eldest daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when she was 3 years old. Fortunately, she has made a full recovery and is now studying Physics at Southampton University. 

Neil is a member of our Cancer Research UK for Children and Young People Insights Panel. Together the panel members use their experience of cancer to influence the work that we do in this area. The insight they share with us ensures our work represents the needs of all children and young people affected by cancer.

By working closely with people like Neil, to understand the experiences of his family, we can make a difference for others affected by children and young people’s cancer.  

“It is great being part of the Children and Young People's Panel. It really feels like our comments and suggestions are being listened to by a wide range of different departments at CRUK, ensuring the patient’s and parent’s voice is taken on board.” 

The panel takes part in discussions with teams across the charity. These discussions help influence the work that we do at Cancer Research UK.   

“The work we do is interesting, varied and straight forward. We get to see what different departments in the charity are working on, and most importantly, we get feedback to these departments.” 

“One aspect I appreciate is that aside from the induction and quarterly updates from CRUK staff and researchers, there aren’t any physical or virtual meetings to attend, and all consultations are done via email.” 

“This is the way patient and public involvement should be run. It feels like I am making a difference being on the panel. CRUK needs more people to get involved and join panels like this one.” 

To find out more about becoming part of our Children and Young People Panel, click here or email involvement@cancer.org.uk