Love is all around at Jo's!

What does love look like? Here at Jo’s, we see love every day - from fundraisers who take on challenges in support or memory of a loved one, to our volunteers who show love for our cause through dedicating their time, knowledge and experiences to help others. At Jo’s, we get to see that love actually is all around us. 

Watching a friend or family member face a diagnosis of cervical cancer or cell changes can be really difficult. Not knowing how to help or what to do can be hard. Today, we want to share some of the inspiring stories of our fantastic fundraisers who have been motivated to get involved after seeing someone they love go through treatment. We’re sharing the love this Valentine’s Day and saying a huge thank you to everyone who supports us. 

Josh and Rebecca 

Josh will be running the Brighton marathon for Jo’s later this year in memory of his dear friend Rebecca who he very sadly lost to cervical cancer in 2019. 

“Before Rebecca passed away we had discussed which charities had helped her and which ones she supported. One of those was Jo’s, she liked the information that Jo’s provided and believed in campaigning for better cervical education.” 

Josh hasn’t run since school and has never run a race so he says this will be a big challenge. Due to the pandemic, the Brighton marathon has been postponed giving Josh a few extra months to train. We can’t wait to see how brilliantly Josh does and we’re sure that thinking of Rebecca will help him get through those 26.2 miles.  

Vanessa and Sophie 

When Vanessa was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April 2019 she said, “it was a shock to everyone not just myself, my life got tipped upside down!” 

A cancer diagnosis can take its toll physically, mentally and emotionally on both the person who is diagnosed and those around them. Vanessa found that her friend Sophie was an enormous help when going through her treatment. 

After undergoing a radical hysterectomy, Vanessa has had the all clear from cancer, although still lives with some side effects. She and Sophie will be taking on the Great North Run later this year as their way of giving something back to Jo’s after using our services throughout Vanessa’s treatment. 

“Sophie held my hand through it all like she will be doing round the Great North Run course.” 

We can’t wait to see these best friends cross the finish line hand in hand!

Noel and Sue

Noel ran a marathon for Jo’s back in 2019. His wife, Sue was told she had cell changes after a smear test, and was diagnosed with CIN3. While this was going on Noel was abroad with work so Sue had to go through her treatment alone. 

'Thankfully Sue’s treatment was successful and Noel wanted to do something to celebrate. He said, “I wanted an opportunity to give something back to Jo’s for all the support they had given my family and to show Sue just how far I am prepared to go for her!” 

Noel smashed his original fundraising target and raised an amazing amount for Jo’s, he managed to get some fantastic selfies during his marathon run and he also raises awareness of the importance of smear tests. 

Get support

Remember that we are here to support you if you are going through something similar, whether you are the one going through a diagnosis or you are supporting someone who is. Our Helpline is free to call on 0808 802 8000. You can speak to others affected by cervical cancer on our forum too. We'd also love to see you at one of our support and information days for those living with and beyond a cervical cancer diagnosis.