Michelle Webster - A lifetime of giving continues
Beloved teacher and friend Michelle Webster, leaves an enduring legacy by supporting lymphoma and cancer research at the University of Sheffield through a generous gift in her Will.
Michelle Webster was a well loved teacher and friend, with a talent for music and an obsession with Irish Setters. Tragically, Michelle passed away at just 67 after a long battle with cancer. She leaves a moving legacy through a gift in her will in support of lymphoma and cancer research at the University of Sheffield. This gift will contribute to the delivery of the university’s ambitious cancer research strategy, which aims to address all aspects of cancer research from prevention to screening, diagnosis, drug discovery and treatment, follow-up, palliation, survival and quality of life.
Michelle was born in Cleethorpes in 1953, and grew up as an only child. After attending Cleethorpes Grammar School for Girls, Michelle went on to study English Literature and Music at Westminster College in Oxford. She was musically gifted and had a specific talent for operatic singing. Her education led her to the world of teaching, a job that she loved and would do for many years before retiring.
Michelle had a lifelong love for dogs starting with a Pembroke Corgi that her family had in her childhood. Her real love though was Irish Setters. While teaching, she would often take her first Irish Setter, Ollie, into the school. The children were very fond of Ollie and generations of students taught by Michelle, grew up calling all Irish Setters, Ollie dogs! After retiring from teaching and the sudden passing of Ollie, Michelle decided to enter into the world of dog showing and get another of her favourite dogs. This dog was called Flynn. Quickly, Michelle had found a passion for her new hobby and this obsession only grew, leading her to new friends and a new skill. She went on to judge for many of these dog shows, and also used her love of writing to contribute to the ISBC (Irish Setters Breeders Club) Newsletter. She was awarded the Carol Dines award at the 2016 ISBC championship. The award is bestowed upon those who provide continuing and significant service to the club and breed, despite not being in a prominent role.
Sadly Michelle was diagnosed with cancer in 1984. She received treatment from Professor Barry Hancock over the course of her illness and her gift to the University of Sheffield was left with the acknowledgement of her thanks to the “superb care and consideration that he had shown her since 1984”.
Professor Barry Hancock was a well revered and popular member of staff within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In 1973, he treated a teenage boy suffering with Hodgkin lymphoma and this experience led him to dedicate his professional career to tackling cancer. He dedicated four decades of his life to caring for the people of Sheffield, and his work made a real impact, especially for Michelle Webster.
In her will, Michelle left a gift of over £62,000 to support lymphoma and cancer research at the University of Sheffield. Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. Her gift has been used to support a project called “Development of a Lymphoma Adenovirus Therapy (LATh)” led by Dr Michelle Lawson and Professor Munitta Muthana’s research groups. Currently treatment for lymphoma can lead to drug resistance and relapse following treatment. This project focuses on developing and evaluating the use of cancer-killing viruses known as oncolytic viruses. These viruses specifically target and destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells and are already approved for the treatment of melanoma. LAth is a genetically modified Adenovirus therapy designed to infect lymphoma cells. Further optimisation of LAth aims to enhance its infection efficiency and ability to eliminate these cells.
Successfully treating refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains an unmet clinical challenge. Therefore, this donation has allowed us to take significant steps in tackling this challenge, we are currently assessing the efficacy of our novel and recently developed oncolytic virus (called LATh). By the end of this project, we will have determined the efficacy of LATh on a panel of Lymphoma cells and these findings will be used to apply for further funding which will be crucial for clinical translation of LATh into patients”.
Dr Michelle Lawson
Researcher at the University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is so thankful for Michelle’s kindness in leaving this gift. Her generosity will have a real impact on the development of cancer treatment and will change the course of cancer research and benefit patients long into the future.
Leaving a gift in your will or making a donation now
If you would like further information about supporting the University now or in the future, please contact David Meadows. David is our Senior Philanthropy Manager for Legacies and a Sheffield graduate himself. He would love to have a confidential chat with you about supporting the University.
Telephone: 0114 222 1073
Email: d.meadows@sheffield.ac.uk