Brave Ann's role in cancer charity's TV advertisement

A mother from Hastings is starring in a TV advert as part of an awareness campaign by a cancer charity.

Ann Sandeman, 39, is one of several people speaking about their personal experiences with the disease in the commercial made by Cancer Research UK.

Cancer doctors also talk about their research funded by the charity.

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Mrs Sandeman, who has three children, six-year-old Hannah, Emma, four, and Ben, two, said: "I feel that I owe so very much to Cancer Research UK because I wouldn't be here but for the charity's work.

"Cancer always seems to happen to someone else.

"But when it does suddenly hit you, your life depends on the research and treatment of the type that Cancer Research UK carries out. For that I am eternally grateful."

Mrs Sandeman was newly pregnant with her third child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2007.

Thanks to an early diagnosis and a brave decision to go ahead with chemotherapy treatment during her pregnancy, Ben was born healthy.

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She started radiotherapy 12 days after giving birth and a year later, Ann was clear of cancer.

But her cancer returned, this time in her chest cavity.

The tumour had wrapped itself around the blood vessels of her heart and she was told the cancer was incurable but would be managed by further treatment.

She underwent chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and will start radiotherapy soon.

Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK spokesman for the South-East, said: "With the help of people like Ann, our aim with this campaign is to show how research carried out by our scientists, doctors and nurses has helped save millions of lives across the UK and throughout the world, while balancing this with personal perspectives on diagnoses."

For more information about the cancer charity's work call 0207 121 6699 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org