A CANCER survivor is appealing to women to return their Race for Life sponsorship.

More than 2,500 people attended the two Race for Life events for Cancer Research at Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester.

Of the £142,000 sponsorship money promised only £127,867 has so far been donated.

Mum-of-three Sara Jenkins from Wyke Regis said she hopes by telling her story that people will be inspired to return the extra money.

Sara, 44, was diagnosed in May 2009. She felt a lump but a mammogram and other tests failed to pinpoint it. When the lump got bigger, she had a biopsy which confirmed she had breast cancer.

Sara had to decide whether or not to have the lump removed or a whole breast. After talking to her step-sister in Australia who had cancer she decided to go for the full mastectomy. She said: “It was only when I called my step-sister, Suzi, who also has cancer which has spread, that I made the decision to have a total mastectomy.”

She added: “I have lost several friends to breast cancer and my step-sister is, sadly, now terminally ill. I am extremely lucky to be a survivor.” Sara had reconstructive breast surgery and two years on she said she made the right choice.

She said: “I am just starting to feel human again and I look and feel how I want to be. I feel I was lucky”.

To celebrate her recovery Sara ran this year’s Race for life with her aunts Penny Jones and Sandra Williams and best friend Monique Limm.

Sara said that she hoped her story would help people to understand the difference that charities like Cancer Research make.

She said: “I believe that one day there will be a cure for cancer and the more money we can generate then the more that charities like Cancer Research will be able to help people in the fight.”

Sara is urging everyone to get their sponsorship money in. She said: “I don’t see the point of taking part in Race for Life unless you pay in the sponsorship money”.

She added: “I’d encourage people to just collect it in. Don’t be embarrassed about it and just make the effort to send it off or pay online.”

For more on returning sponsorship money visit www.raceforlife.org