An occupational therapist working for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has been nominated to receive the St David’s award in an inaugural shortlist.
Lara Cowpe raised more than £70,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at University Hospital Wales. The unit allows young cancer sufferers to socialise and support one another whilst receiving specialised care.
Lara, from Dinas Powys, had to go through two years of chemotherapy as a child having been diagnosed with the disease.
When in 2010 she found a lump in her neck, she was braced to begin treatment again. Much to her relief, the lymphoma was caused by the Epstein – Barr Virus, also responsible for Glandular Fever.
Lara said: “One of the things I remember thinking is that if I had had cancer, then the TCT unit at the UHW would have been there for me if I needed it. That is one of the reasons that I continue to raise money for this fantastic charity.”
Lara has raised money for the charity by setting up a committee to oversee fundraising as well as organising galas and other events.
Maria Battle, the chairwoman of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “I am so pleased that Lara has been nominated for a St David Award. “The work she has done has made a real difference to so many of the young people we care for at the University Hospital of Wales.”
The awards ceremony will take at the Royal College of Music and Drama on March 13.
