Hannah's Story
Hannah Bracegirdle, a mother of three from Chorley was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, during a routine blood test while she was pregnant with her third child in 2008.
Her pregnancy meant that Hannah was unable to receive the recommended treatment and instead had to endure weekly doses of dialysis to clean her blood cells of the cancer.
Despite her treatment, her youngest son Joel, was born happy and healthy.
Hannah said: “Being diagnosed with cancer at any point of your life is awful, but finding out whilst carrying Joel was truly devastating.
“Not only could it affect my life, but also that of my unborn baby.
"Thankfully Joel was born fit and well and my doctors have told me that my cancer is now under control.
“Without the vital funding for research from charities like North West Cancer Research, I might not be here today to tell my story or see my children grow-up.”
Thanks to advances in research, Hannah now leads a normal life with Joel, her two other children Sophie and Noah and her husband John.