A CLEVEDON cancer survivor has raised more than £9,000 to say thank you to everyone who helped her battle the disease.

A CLEVEDON cancer survivor has raised more than £9,000 to say thank you to everyone who helped her battle the disease.

Barbara Druce, of Edwards Road, was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and had to have a tumour removed from her shoulder.

The cancer had spread and Barbara also had to have the lymph nodes removed from her right arm, before undergoing months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to tackle the disease.

The 61-year-old said the support of her family, friends and the staff at the Bristol Oncology Hospital got her through the tough days and in November last year she held a fund-raising ball at Walton Park Hotel in Clevedon to say thank you to everyone who helped her to get better.

The determined grandmother raised £9,000 from the event and has donated half the cash to the Bristol Oncology Unit and half the funds to Cancer Research UK.

She said: "I just feel so well now and I'm so grateful for the care and attention I've had from my family, friends and hospital staff.

"I felt pretty grotty a lot of the time, but I've always been a very determined person and I was so positive I'd get through it.

"I can't say enough about the staff at Bristol Oncology Centre, they've been informative and very open about everything.

"They guided me through it all. They've been marvellous. I feel I could call them friends."

Barbara and her husband Bernard, have four children between them and four grandchildren.

Barbara, who works as a secretary for Bernard's company, Data Design, still has to go for regular scans but she is determined to beat the disease.

She lost her mother and brother to cancer two years before she was diagnosed and is determined to stay strong for her family.

She said: "The stronger and the more determined you are the better you're able to cope with what you're going through and fight it."

Barbara's fund-raising days are not yet over. After a little break, she's keen to start organising events and raising cash to help other people suffering from cancer.