Amy's story

Our media volunteers help raise awareness of cancer and the work of CRUK. Here, Amy Williams, 31, from Harpenden, tells us about her experience of sharing her story to support #wewillunite as part of World Cancer Day.

How did you get involved with the campaign?

I had shared my story on the online form originally, and had spoken to the Media Volunteer Liaison team about one project that didn’t work out in the end. It was a bit disappointing, but the team explained that this can happen for a variety of reasons. Then I got a call about the World Cancer Day campaign and I really liked the sound of it. I was going through my breast cancer treatment at the time and the idea of being in a campaign that looks to unite people across the UK and across the world really appealed.

What happened next?

There was lots of toing and froing while everything was being sorted out and I spoke to the agency who would be making the film that was going to be part of the campaign. I really liked that people listened to me and took my thoughts onboard – I was asked to suggest locations and one of them ended up being where we filmed, so I felt a part of the process.

What happened with the filming?

All the transport had been sorted out and Karen from CRUK’s Media Volunteer Liaison team met me at the station to go along on the day. I was quite nervous as I had not been on camera before, but I really enjoyed it all. And I was looked after too – it was a cold day and I got lots of coffee and blankets in between takes. The whole experience has given me loads of confidence. I got to see the film before it went out and I was really happy with it.

Were you involved in other things apart from the film?

I also helped with posts for social media and was also interviewed for a few news  articles, including the Huffington Post which I enjoyed too. I was actually away on the 4^th February but I sent pictures back from our skiing trip which got used too - I really felt part of the campaign and it was great to see lots of other people getting involved.

I’m helping with World Cancer Day again in 2016 and it is lovely to see it grow – so get your Unity Bands ready for 4^th February!