Soprano hits the high notes for cancer

In a cruel twist of fate, Aileen Marley, from Giffnock, found herself sitting opposite one of the country’s leading specialist consultant surgeons in pancreatic cancer for a second time within a year.

The 34-year-old lawyer was approached by a group — led by leading surgeon Mr Ross Carter — who wanted to start up a pancreas-specific cancer charity.

A year later, her father was diagnosed with and, later, died of pacreatic cancer.

Now, Aileen — who is a lead soprano in a concert tonight by The Bothwell Philharmonic Choir — uses her singing for the charity.

“I released an album,” Aileen told The Extra.

She added: “All the profits from the cd and from the concert are going to the charity.

“The album can be downloaded from iTunes but they take £5 from every sale; so I’ve had to make that dearer. But Pauline Books in Princes Square in Glasgow is able to sell it for less.”

“It was a horrible coincidence that I drew up the legal documents for the charity and then I found myself sitting across from Ross Carter for a second time after my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2011 and he died in December the same year.

“Only three per cent of cases have a five-year survival.”

So far, Aileen has helped raise more than £5,000.

Album