York's own Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench is making a plea for people to give money to help fund more lung cancer nurses.
She has written to the Evening Press and other organisations appealing for publicity to raise the profile of the work done by specialist lung cancer care nurses around the country.
She lost her actor husband Michael Williams to the disease earlier this year and is now putting her weight behind the Lung Cancer Nurse Appeal being run by the Roy Castle Foundation, of which she is a patron.
Dame Judi said: "During Michael's illness I was highly appreciative of the care and support that he received from devoted professionals, most specialising in the lung cancer field.
"However, the general level of care available to lung cancer sufferers in the UK still falls way below that experienced for other cancers, as there are comparatively so few specialist lung cancer nurses to help them cope."
According to the Roy Castle Foundation nearly 40,000 people are affected by the disease every year, and for many it progresses rapidly with an average life expectancy of just four months.
The specialist nurses, of which there are 180 working in the UK, carry out practical support, comfort and quality of life to both the patient and their relatives.
The Foundation appointed the first specialist support nurse in 1992 and currently funds five out of the 180.
If you would like to make a donation to the Foundation's nurse appeal contact 0151 794 8800 or log on to www.roycastle.org.
Updated: 08:32 Tuesday, August 21, 2001
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