Next up is Claire Woolger, who shares her story of cancer discovery, explaining how she went from being the “average teenager” worrying only about boys, school work and exams, to finding out she had something far scarier to be concerned about. Once treatment began, Claire explains how everything was put into perspective and suddenly worrying about “Mr. Fitty” down the road didn’t seem so important!

Next to take to the stage is Rachel Gilbert, who was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer when she was 15. Now 22, Rachel is about to celebrate, as she calls it, her “cancerversary”! Like Hannah, Rachel was a keen gymnast before her diagnosis, and explains how difficult it was to adapt to life with cancer, especially with the absence of friends, after many of them did not stay in contact during her treatment.

Diagnosed nine months ago with Acute Lymblastic Leukaemia, we follow Marcus as he organises a charity gig with his band, Mexicofallz to raise not only money, but also awareness of the disease. As a way of saying thank you to everyone, with the help of family members and friends, he sets about raising money for the charities that have helped him along the way, including CLIC Sargent, Sue Ryder Care and The Teenage Cancer Trust. Marcus’s dad explains the importance of continuing with hobbies, if possible, to regain normality and talks about his own experience of having a child with cancer. Marcus talks about the shock of being diagnosed, however friends and family are at hand to praise him for the strength and maturity he has shown throughout his treatment.

In the second of Nick’s films, we hear how, despite having his life turned upside down by treatment, he has tried to keep things as normal as possible, even managing a pint after his first chemo session! Soon realising a lifestyle change was needed however, Nick talks about how, as a nineteen year old, he got used to dealing with the side effects of treatment such as hair loss and a drastic change in appearance. During treatment, Nick explains how he grew to appreciate the good things in life and tried as much as possible to make good use of the days he felt better, in his words to “recharge the batteries”. Mentally, Nick describes how hard the battle with his emotions was and how it has made him a great deal stronger now he has experienced having cancer, offering some great advice on how to stay mentally positive.

After an intense course of treatment and now beginning to feel better, a holiday is long overdue for Jonny as he jets off to Spain and luckily, takes us with him! Leaving rainy England behind for the sparkling shores of Benalmadena near Malaga, the sun cream is packed, the shades are on and the sun is shining! We might not be experiencing the glorious weather like Jonny, but we get an envious insight into his jam packed holiday away and soon discover he’s been jetting off again- this time to France as part of a holiday organised by a wonderful charity Jonny spends a lot of time working for. Its third time lucky as Jonny has a relaxing break away with family in the Lake District and reflects on his experience with cancer, stating how it has made him a stronger and braver person despite the difficulties along the way.

After finding herself back in hospital again due to an infection and low counts, Alice is feeling deflated and wants to be back at home. After a talk with the doctors however, Alice soon realises she must stay and get better before she can return home, and sure enough, proving everyone wrong, her counts steadily creep back up to normal range! An ecstatic Alice finally returns to her home comforts, but also returns to the ever looming exam results day, causing her to feel a mixture of emotions. The day arrives, and amazingly, Alice gains a sparkling set of grades, despite being extremely ill when sitting them. A post exams party with friends means only one thing…drunken, camp dancing from Jordan! It’s a case of festival fever as Alice has an amazing time at V and Reading, managing to meet one of her favourite bands, Muse. After all the fun of mingling with celebrities, Alice is suitably worn out, but doesn’t stop there…she has a full treatment plan sorted and is already planning a holiday!

Diagnosed in September 2006 with a brain tumour, this is Jonny’s story. 8 months on and we hear about his long and hard journey in detail, as Jonny explains the nasty side effects of treatment and the various operations he has had to have. We get a sneaky peek at the ever appearing and spooky looking radiotherapy mask, now only used at Halloween according to Jonny! Spending a lot of time at home after having to miss college, a vast array of daytime telly was on offer to Jonny, Loose Women and Jeremy Kyle being personal favourites of his. Friends and family play a big part in Jonny’s positivity, as he explains how lucky he feels to have such a supportive network of people around him. After talking about his treatment story, we get to see a rehearsal take place at the Youth Theatre where Jonny and his sister attend and by the sounds of things, he can certainly reach those sparkling top notes!

Here we are introduced properly to Anthony, a university student who was diagnosed with cancer whilst still studying away from home. Anthony highlights the good points of having cancer when a brand new, shiny free laptop arrives for him- not something you get in the post everyday! To give us an insight into what life is like, Anthony gives us a tour of his halls of residence, where his roommates, mostly guys, are cooking up a storm…. even if it doesn’t look very appetising! Anthony stops to talk to various friends, who talk about what it felt like to find out Anthony had been diagnosed at such a young age and how it’s made them realise it could happen to anybody, no matter how old you are. The sun is shining as we get a lovely tour around Brighton pier and the surrounding beach, before its time to go back to school as Anthony takes a visit to the school room in the hospital, where, surprisingly everyone is really eager to learn!

Race for life day has finally arrived and team Bonnie are out in full force and raring to go! With their legs stretched and their trainers on both feet, the 5k race begins with Bonnie at the front leading the way and giving us a running commentary of how her race skills are shaping up. As they near the end, it’s tempting to stop, but Bonnie just keeps on going until she reaches that finish line! Back at home, the chocolate is out and the legs are resting as everyone, including Bonnie feels worn out after their active morning, which has raised a staggering two and a half thousand pounds for Cancer Research. With the race completed and everyone recovered, Bonnie gives us a summary of the past few days, including a trip to the hospital to have her stomach drained, in which 3 litres of liquid were drained, an amount Bonnie represents with three cartons of fruit juice! As her holiday approaches, Bonnie looks forward to having a break away from home and rejuvenating on a boating holiday. We get a tour around the boat in question and some of the beautiful surrounding scenery as Bonnie has a well deserved break from normality and enjoys herself surrounded by her family, her friends and the sunshine.

It’s all go go go as both radiotherapy and exams get underway and Alice prepares for the busy schedule ahead of her. With radiotherapy everyday for the next 4 ½ weeks, Alice explains how she can’t wait to get it all over and done with and get on with life as normal. On the foot front, a successful period of driving again without any pain fills Alice with bundles of confidence and relief at the thought of finally being crutch free. After missing it first time round due to previous treatment, an apprehensive Alice prepares for her maths exam and reports back after to tell us how it went… with complete success of course! A weekend away in London with friends at the Give It A Name festival comes as a welcome break from treatment and exams and gives Alice a chance to see some of her all time favourite bands play, even if a late night getting back home does cause sore eyes the next day! As Alice’s tough schedule of radiotherapy continues, she explains how treatment isn’t what’s worrying her most. In true Alice form, passing her exams and continuing with revision are her main concerns, even with the side effects of treatment causing her to feel tired and lethargic… leaving us wondering where she gets her energy from!

Through a series of photographs, taken before and during his cancer treatment, Anthony shows us how cancer can not only dramatically alter your way of life, but also the way you look. From nights out with friends and fun filled fancy dress parties to potent images of his time in hospital, this film tracks Anthony’s progress and offers a powerful insight into the physical side effects of having cancer.

It’s a momentous occasion as Josephine has her last ever week in hospital and leaves the dreaded drip behind for good! The princess theme continues as a fabulous trip to Disneyland Paris, as organised by Dreams Come True, sees the family having a wonderful time away from hospital at last. There’s no sign of Mickey Mouse, but a whirlwind of excitement gets those teacups spinning! As the group set off on a magical river ride, Josie reminisces about the last time she was on the exact same ride with her grandparents and what its like to be back there again. After all the rollercoaster riding you could ever wish for, both in hospital and at the theme park, life returns to normal for Josephine as she looks forward to returning to college and finally getting some normality back in her life. As her video journey comes to an end and everything is finally looking up, an extremely happy Josie says goodbye to Jimmyteens and our favourite princess rides away into the sunset!