THE Bolton born husband of a cancer survivor is featuring in a new TV advert which celebrates special moments made possible thanks to lifesaving research.
Adam Anders-Holmes and his husband Daniel can be seen celebrating their first wedding anniversary in the touching new advert from Cancer Research UK which was broadcast for the first time on Friday on ITV.
Adam, 32, who works as an electronical engineer for Siemens, was brought up in Lostock, and is a former pupil of Canon Slade School.
His husband Daniel, 34, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012 aged just 23, while Adam was still at university.
They appear at the beginning of the advert smiling and walking together hand in hand at Rookery Hall Hotel, Nantwich, where they were married in June 2022 after their big day was originally postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The couple, who have been together for 13 years, will also feature on billboards and posters as part of the charity’s new ‘Together We Are Beating Cancer’ advertising and fundraising drive that will be on display in Bolton and across the UK during September.
Showcasing the heartwarming moments being made possible for people affected by cancer, the campaign aims to shine a light on the invaluable impact that cancer breakthroughs have on the lives of people like Daniel to inspire more support.
Daniel, who grew up in Ashton-in-Makerfield, was diagnosed with cancer when he found a lump on his neck shortly after training to be an events manager.
He had four rounds of chemotherapy and two weeks of radiotherapy treatment.
Radiotherapy is a treatment where radiation is used to kill cancer cells and benefits more than 130,000 patients in the UK every year. Scientists at Cancer Research UK laid the foundations of modern radiotherapy back in the 1920s and 1930s and are continuing to find ways to improve radiotherapy today.
Daniel, who lost both his grandparents to cancer, made a good recovery and was given the all clear from cancer in 2013.
He said: “Being diagnosed with cancer when I was young was a huge shock. It did cross my mind that I could die, but mostly I just got my head down and concentrated on getting through the treatment. Adam was brilliant and came to help look after me. He was at university at the time and it’s not quite the experience we were expecting. But I am fortunate that the treatment was so effective, and I am here now to tell the tale and share my life with Adam.
Daniel continued: “There is life after cancer and that’s why I wanted to be part of this vitally important and upbeat fundraising campaign to help ensure that the life-saving progress in research can continue and more people like me can make more moments that matter.”
Now Daniel is director of his own home care agency in Cheshire and lives in Salford Quays with husband Adam.
Adam said: “The relief I felt when Daniel went into remission was euphoric and now luckily this feels like a distant memory. Marrying Daniel was the best day of my life. It was a dream come true for us and when we reflect on huge life moments like these, it is with gratitude for the success of his treatment that allows us to enjoy these moments. But without research this may have never been possible and while there is certainly more to do, the progress to date has been phenomenal and I for one am extremely grateful that it has allowed me and Daniel to continue making memories to last a lifetime.”
The launch coincides with new data released by Cancer Research UK revealing around 1.2 million deaths have been avoided in the UK since the mid-1980s, due to progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Over the last four decades, UK cancer mortality rates have fallen by around a quarter, after peaking in 1985 for men and 1989 for women.
Had rates stayed the same, it is estimated that around 134,000 more lives would have been lost in the North West.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North West, Jemma Humphreys, said: “Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our supporters, together, we are beating cancer. Our research breakthroughs mean every day, people are being diagnosed earlier, have access to kinder and more effective treatments, and some cancers are prevented completely. This all adds up to more moments with the people we love – as our new campaign featuring Adam and Daniel shows.
"But around 41,900 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the North West. We’re working towards a world where everyone can live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer and that’s why we’re calling on people across Bolton to help us go further and faster in the fight against the disease.
"By donating, fundraising, taking part in one of our Shine Night Walks, or volunteering at our shops, they could fund new discoveries that will help more people reach the life-changing moment when their doctor says: ‘It’s gone.’”
Donate now at cruk.org/donate
People are also being invited to share their personal moments, either of their own cancer journey or that of a loved one, through a dedicated photowall and on social media by using #MoreMoments.
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