Two-time cancer survivors find love through charity work

A two-time cancer survivor has described how she married her "absolute rock" and soulmate who was also diagnosed twice - after the pair met through their charity work.

Liv Shaw, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, was given a second cancer diagnosis at 23 having lost part of her leg to the disease in 2011.

Now 29, she first met her husband Sam at a Teenage Cancer Trust conference as a 16-year-old and was struck by "how funny he was" and how he "always knows how to lift my spirits".

They started dating a few years later and "have never looked back", marrying in Las Vegas last year.

Liv has Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) - a rare inherited condition that increases the likelihood of people developing certain childhood and adult cancers.

The operations manager, who lives in Reddish, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – cancer of the bone - at the age of 14.

She had chemotherapy but was devastated to be told the cancer had spread into the tissue and muscle surrounding her leg bone, meaning she needed an above-the-knee amputation and a prosthetic limb fitted.

In 2020, she faced a further cancer diagnosis while studying at Manchester Metropolitan University.

After breaking a rib, she found a lump which turned out to be a tumour.

She had surgery but the cancer was considered to be so slow growing that she did not need further treatment.

Due to a history of cancer on the maternal side of her family, Liv had genetic testing and was found to carry LFS.

She is an IVF triplet and, much to her relief, both her siblings and mother proved to be negative.

It is now thought Liv could have inherited LFS from the sperm donor, or it couldhave simply started with her.

In 2023, Liv made the decision to have both her breasts removed to reduce her risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Liv continues to need regular check-ups and will be closely monitored for the rest of her life.

However, she said her husband has been a constant support through her toughest times.

"I initially met Sam at Teenage Cancer Trust's Find Your Sense of Tumour conference when I was 16 and just remember how funny he was, and still is," she said.

"We were both involved in speaking about body image following treatment at the conference a few years later, and Sam got involved in a charity fashion show that I'd been involved in.

"During that time, we'd started dating and never looked back. Sam has been an absolute rock throughout my second cancer diagnosis, and subsequent LFS diagnosis.

"Sam can find laughter anytime and always knows how to lift my spirits and support me."

Liv is now supporting a campaign to help protect those most at risk of LFS disease to live longer, better lives, while ground-breaking research into the condition continues.

For high-risk people like Liv, this much-needed research is inspiring new hope.

She said: "I stay positive and keep things as normal as I can. But I'm only in my twenties and I've already been through two different cancers.

"My care is all about detecting cancer early, not preventing it in the first place. 

"There's no cure for LFS. People like me urgently need more, and less invasive, ways to help reduce our cancer risk.

"That's why research is so vital along with the donations that make it possible."

Liv said: "Using my voice to make a positive difference gives me strength and knowing that there could be a better outlook for people like me with LFS on the horizon spurs me on."

Cancer Research UK said it hoped recent a recent trial of a potential "wonder drug" could eventually offer a lifeline to thousands.

The study investigates whether the common type 2 diabetes drug metformin can block or slow cancer development in high-risk individuals with LFS.

The charity's Jane Bullock said stories like Liv's bring home the need to fuel faster progress.

"By preventing the disease, we're helping to protect people like her from the challenges of a diagnosis, treatment and what follows, so they can focus on the moments that matter," she said.

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