As valued supporters of the Bone Cancer Research Trust and a members of our #TeamBones family, I wanted to personally share an update with you all.
As you may or may not know, when I was 10-years-old I lost my dad to primary bone cancer. Like so many, he was misdiagnosed for over a year before finally receiving a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma at the age of 23. At the time, my dad was given just 9 months to live and was told that it would be out of the question to even consider having children because of the treatment he would receive.
My dad was in an out of hospital and would never stop pushing and asking questions about what next treatment was available to him. I think, in part, it was his determination that helped him beat the odds he was given. 9 months turned into a year which then turned into 7 years. It was at this time, when he and my mother started to look for fertility treatment options, that they discovered they were expecting me. My arrival gave my dad new hope and, despite still going in and out of hospital, he survived another 10 years before passing away in 1997, two months before my 11th birthday.
Back then, there was no charity for primary bone cancer, no research was being done and no information or dedicated support was available for patients. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realised the full impact this had on my family, and indeed, other families facing primary bone cancer.
Fast forward to 2015 and my career path had taken me into charity fundraising. I was looking for a new charity role and by chance saw that the Bone Cancer Research Trust was advertising for a new Head of Fundraising. It was as though the stars had aligned and it wasn’t until that moment that I had ever heard of the Bone Cancer Research Trust. Immediately I knew I could join an essentially needed organisation and increase the impact it was having on patients and their families. After all, if I had never heard of it, even after living it – how many more didn’t know about this brilliant charity!
I knew the charity could do far more for our patients and had significant room for growth, but I did not know just how far we could take the charity and the true impact that could be made. I am so proud of the team we have; we are so lucky to have such a diverse and dedicated group of individuals united in a common cause – to help bone cancer patients and their loved ones. In 2015 it seemed like a pipe dream that we would and could achieve what we have over the past eight years – and that is all down to YOU - our sensational community (aka #TeamBones)!
Sadly though, the time has come for me to move on from the Bone Cancer Research Trust and I will be leaving the charity on Thursday July 27th. This was a very hard and emotional decision to make. However, to know that the Bone Cancer Research Trust is now in such an excellent place for the future, and so different from where it was in 2015, with an ambitious but achievable plan that will lead to increased patient survival and improved quality of life, I believe the time is right for me to move on.
I will be leaving the Bone Cancer Research Trust and moving to a local hospice as their new CEO as they look to help more patients in the future. Much like my motivation at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, I have personally experienced and witnessed hospice care at its best and the benefits it not only brings to patients, but wider family members.
We are beginning the process of finding the Bone Cancer Research Trust’s next CEO straight away with a view of someone being appointed as soon as possible.
I know there is some time until I leave, but once again, I just wanted to personally THANK YOU for making the Bone Cancer Research Trust the incredible organisation it is today. Only with your continued support have we been able to develop this incredible charity into the force that it is! With over £8million now invested into life-saving research, awareness initiatives reaching and educating millions of the public and healthcare professionals every year and hundreds of patients and their loved ones being supported throughout their journey by our dedicated Support & Information Service – there is so much you have made possible!
Please keep supporting this amazing charity, and never forget that every £1 you give or raise, or every hour of time you donate, or every share of our social media posts you do - you are helping to give hope to patients and their loved ones!
And for those attending the Bone Cancer Conference on June 10th in Bristol or the Bone Cancer Ball on November 4th in Leeds – I will see you there.
- Mat Cottle-Shaw, Chief Executive Officer
Below, Mat and his dad, their last Christmas together in 1996:
