Cancer patient who set up support website praised

Lorna Pirozzolo has worked on the support website cancer.je since the Covid pandemic

A Jersey woman who set up a support website after she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer has been praised by the island's Oncology Department.

Lorna Pirozzolo set up the website cancer.je during the Covid pandemic to direct other patients to services and offer advice for off-island support.

Dr Elizabet Gomes Dos Santos has nominated her for the BBC Radio Jersey Make a Difference Awards.

Ms Pirozzolo plans to expand the work the website does by applying for cancer.je to become a charity, which will allow her to apply for grant funding.

Ms Pirozzolo was surprised by the nomination for the BBC Radio Jersey Make a Difference Awards

Ms Pirozzolo was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2018 and then diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2019.

Talking about her award nomination, she said it was “just amazing".

“We will apply to be a charity but we are not looking for donations, instead it would allow us to go for grant funding for big projects and changes,” Ms Pirozzolo said.

She also hopes the nomination will raise the profile of the website.

Dr Elizabet Gomes Dos Santos said Ms Pirozzolo had made a big difference to cancer patients in Jersey

Dr Dos Santos, who is lead of the oncology service and chaired Jersey’s first cancer strategy, said Ms Pirozzolo “immediately stood out” when they first met and she has “incredible energy”.

Dr Dos Santos said: “The website has been very important because it is the only site with all information related to Jersey cancer support and it has become a platform that everybody gravitates towards including ourselves and the government.”

She said there “is no need for us to replicate” the website and the department now works with Ms Pirozzolo “to improve the site”.

The winners of the BBC Radio Jersey Make a Difference Awards will be announced in September.