AS a young girl he was her inspiration and idol - and now PhD student Amy Shergold is following a career in cancer research in her grandfather’s honour.

John Loughlin Shergold was everything to Amy before his sudden death from liver cancer on the same day he was diagnosed with the disease.

Although she was heartbroken by his loss, the now 25-year-old is researching ways to help the human body use its natural defences to fight cancer.

Amy, who is originally from Dennistoun, said: “I didn’t have a dad growing up, but my granda was always there for me.

“He was like a dad to me and he treated me like his own daughter. 

“From buying me my first teddy bear to pretending to be Santa Claus at Christmas, he was always there for me. 

“I cherish every minute I had with him but I think of all the special moments – birthdays, graduations, meeting my partner for the first time – that he never got to share with me. 

“Losing him to cancer when I was so young has made me even more determined to find new ways to beat this horrible disease.”

John, who was 66, had previously received treatment for prostate cancer and was given the all clear.

When he started feeling unwell again, he was initially reluctant to go to the doctor. 

But on September 16, 2009, a CT scan at the Royal Infirmary revealed that he had a tumour on his liver. 

Sadly, he died hours later, with his wife and two daughters by his side. But he left Amy, who was only 14, with many happy memories.  

The 25-year-old said: “Granda was always the life and soul of the party, ready to belt out songs at the top of his voice. He loved Frank Sinatra and always had his Rat Pack records playing.

"Even now I cry whenever I hear My Way or That’s Life - it reminds me of him.

“My mum and I lived with him when I was little. Later when I started primary school and my mum and I found a place of our own to live, I remember I wanted to pack my suitcase to go back round to see Granda all the time.” 

Amy credits her grandad with encouraging an early love of science at school.  

She said: “He’d always wind me up when I was talking about the facts I’d learned about biology at school. It was his way of keeping me on my toes but we always had fun together.  

“Like many people at the time, he used to smoke regularly. When I learned about how bad it was for your health, I cut up his cigarettes because I was so worried about the thought of him making his health worse.  

Glasgow Times:

“At first, he was a bit annoyed when I did that. But he eventually gave up smoking because he knew how much it had upset me. 

"He wanted to look after himself for me. I would love to have one more conversation with Granda and tell him about my lab and my research on the immune system and cancer.

"I bet he’d find new ways to tease me about it but that he’d be so proud of what I’m doing now.”

Amy is now a PhD student at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow and her research involves trying to understand why cancer is able to hide from the immune system. 

By manipulating dendritic cells, which guide the immune system to kill cancer, she’s hoping to be able to harness the body’s own defences to fight cancer and open the door for new treatments for many different types of the disease.  

Amy is now highlighting a new short film from Cancer Research UK that underlines how important it is for everyone to play a part in fighting the illness. 

She added: “My experience means I understand the importance of Cancer Research UK’s work all too clearly. Having my granda taken from me at such a young age motivates me to help even more people survive this cruel disease.  

Glasgow Times:

“As a result of the pandemic, cancer is as urgent an issue now as it’s ever been. With so many people affected, I hope that people across Scotland will join me in playing their part to help beat cancer.

"Every action – big or small – helps researchers like me find the treatments of tomorrow.” 

In Scotland, around 32,400 people are diagnosed with cancer every year.  

Graeme Sneddon, Cancer Research UK spokesman for Scotland, said: “Amy’s story shows that cancer touches all of our lives at some point, and we are so grateful to her for supporting this campaign.  

“Covid-19 has hit us hard, but we are more focussed than ever on our ambition of seeing three in four people survive their cancer by 2034.  

“This past year proves, more than any other, the value of research and what can be achieved together. Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer.  

“That’s why we want to harness the ‘people power’ of our incredible supporters, because the progress we make relies on every hour of research, every pound donated and everyone who gets involved.” 

Cancer Research UK was able to spend more than £42 million in Scotland in 2019/20 on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.  

 

Cancer Research is asking people to get involved by 

 

*         Donating or fundraising 

*         Volunteering at a Cancer Research UK shop or event  

*         Pledging to leave a gift in their Will to the charity  

 

Find out more at cruk.org