 Dame Laura Lee, DBE, is a cancer nurse turned CEO of Maggie's, which runs a large and growing network of centres to help support cancer patients in calm, positive and uplifting environments Its aim? To help prevent patients 'losing the joy of living in the fear of dying'. And over the past three decades, Laura, 57, has overseen its growth from that one centre to 24 centres across the country, which are visited 340,000 times a year by people in need of support. And there are plans for even more. Sadly, Maggie died before seeing her dream come true. She lost her fight against breast cancer in 1995 – aged just 53 – shortly before ground was broken for the very first Maggie's at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. 'An amazing amount of money': Dame Laura has worked with People's Postcode Lottery for two decades, putting their £23m donations to use in expanding the growing Maggie's network (Credit: Nick Edwards) But she's left an astonishing legacy, thanks to Laura's visionary genius and YOUR generosity. Because for the past 20 years, the charity has received an incredible £23 million from the players of People's Postcode Lottery. And it's set to continue. 'It's an amazing amount of money,' says Laura, who was made a Dame in 2019. 'People's Postcode Lottery has been an extraordinary partner for Maggie's. 'We became one of their first charities – they were st){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
When cancer nurse Laura Lee started caring for a new patient one day back in 1993, she had no idea it would change her life – and many others – forever.
Because that patient – Maggie Keswick Jencks – had the idea of building a small centre next to the Edinburgh hospital where she was being treated to help others come to terms with their diagnosis.
Laura – then in her early 20s – became convinced of its need, wholeheartedly jumping on board and becoming the first employee and CEO of the charity they would call Maggie’s*.
Dame Laura Lee, DBE, is a cancer nurse turned CEO of Maggie’s, which runs a large and growing network of centres to help support cancer patients in calm, positive and uplifting environments