When Nadira Mirza was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 45, she endured what they call the “slash, poison and burn”.

The Bradford University director of students was diagnosed with the disease in 2001 after discovering a lump near her collar bone and two weeks later was on the operating table having the cancerous tumour removed.

“I had the whole regime,” the now 58-year-old, of Heaton, said.

“The slash, poison and burn – the operation, radiation and chemical treatment – All while coming to terms with having cancer.”

Nadira, who was given the all clear after ten years of treatment in 2011, is backing the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal.

Our campaign, with the University, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the Sovereign Health Care Charitable Trust, aims to raise £1 million to help researchers at the University’s Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT) pioneer new cancer treatments ten times faster than ever before.

As someone who knows the gruelling side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Nadira is supporting their efforts to develop new targeted medicines which don’t ravage the body in the same way as current treatments.

In 2011, researchers at the ICT revealed such a breakthrough – a ‘smart bomb’ tumour-blasting therapy, which has the ability to find and destroy solid tumours without the horrendous side effects of chemotherapy.

“Chemotherapy was difficult,” she said.

“I had it over eight months, followed by radiotherapy.

“It was like taking a year out of my life. I couldn’t do anything except look after myself and it was an endless thing, with all the other drugs I had to take to manage the side-effects.

“Basically it is killing your cells. It’s killing the cancer cells, but cancer cells are some of the fastest-reproducing cells in the body.

“The work that is being done to pioneer new treatments is fantastic and will make such a difference.”

Nadira will be urging students at the University to support our appeal through a serious of fundraising events.

“I work at the Bradford University and the T&A Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal is a major appeal which links with our academic provision, research, learning and teaching.

“I want to get our students involved in the campaign.”