As some of you will know my husband Steve lost his fight with Leukaemia in 1988. As a footballer for Southampton F.C. we were able to raise a very significant amount of money for his charity before he passed away. To date in Southampton we have funded the establishment of a research lab (opened in 1988) and isolation wards opened a couple of years later. The Steve Mills Stem Cell Lab opened in 2001. The lab serves the whole of the Wessex region and Channel Islands supporting the treatment not only of Leukaemia but many other blood related diseases and cancers through the preparation and storage of blood and bone marrow stem cells for future transplantation. Many hundreds of lives have been saved and crucial research continues.
We are now pioneering a new treatment for young female cancer patients by preserving their fertility by removing and freezing a healthy ovary before they start cancer treatment (which damages fertility). When they are in remission and wish to start a family the ovary is thawed and reimplanted to allow natural conception. This has been available in Europe for a while, with a few babies having been born. We want patients in England to also have the right to avail of this pioneering treatment and the wonder and privilege of one day becoming a mother.
28 years after his death we are still raising money and all donations go directly to the Steve Mills Fund (part of the Wessex Medical Research - charity no. 274839).

Thank you for your support Jo, Amy and Lucy (Steve’s widow and daughters).

Thank you also to Margi, Bobbi, Teresa, Cat and Melanie for rowing the London River Race in support of the fund.