Mazal Tov Louise on your MBE!

We are thrilled to announce that Louise Hager, Chair of Chai Cancer Care, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s 2025 New Years Honours, for Services to People with Cancer.

It is a deserving acknowledgement of the immense contribution Louise has made to the Jewish community over many decades, with Chai Cancer Care supporting tens of thousands of cancer patients and their loved since its inception in 1990.

The award also provides recognition to the two incredible women who started Chai Cancer Care 35 years ago and whose work Louise continues with such dedication and commitment. Susan Shipman, together with Louise’s mother Frances Winegarten z’l established Chai in response to their personal experiences. Both women lived through a cancer diagnosis, with Frances surviving for 26 years despite a very poor prognosis and Susan’s precious daughter Natalie z’l passing away just before her eighth birthday. Despite the love and support of family and friends, there was nowhere for them to go to in the community, to share the huge challenges they were living through, at a time when cancer was rarely acknowledged, let alone said out loud. They chose to name the fledgling organisation ‘Chai ‘(the Hebrew word for ‘life’) with the aim to provide expert support and care not only for the cancer patient themselves, but also their family members.

When Susan moved to live in Israel, Louise picked up the baton and dedicated herself to developing the organisation. Starting in Frances’ bedroom with a single service, a telephone helpline, Chai now operates from a flagship centre in North West London and 10 satellite centres across the UK, providing 70 specialised services to over 4,500 clients aged from three years old to 99.

Lisa Steele, Chai’s CEO said, “We are all so proud of Louise for receiving this accolade. She has been an ever-present figure in Chai’s history and has overseen the organisation’s development and direction. Louise’s drive, passion and commitment inspires us all and I know that, for her, it will be as much for the Chai family as it is for herself.”

“It is a huge privilege to be part of this very special organisation and I feel extremely honoured and humbled to have received an MBE”, says Louise. “So much of what Chai has achieved over the years is due to the strongest of foundations that my dear mother Frances Winegarten z’l and Susan Shipman laid, and this award is very much dedicated to them both. When Chai was established it would not have been possible to imagine how much impact the organisation would have on the Jewish community and beyond, and how it would be recognised as a model of supportive care nationally and internationally. I know that my late mother, would be so proud of this accolade. But more than that, together with Susan, they would be even more proud of what Chai has become and the way that our community has changed its approach to cancer care and support. That Chai has been able to meet the relentless demand is because we have been blessed to have built a hugely dedicated and devoted team across the whole organisation, and to have the wonderful generosity and loyalty of our donors and the community who have walked by our side. This honour is much more than a personal award. It is for everyone who has made, and continues to make, Chai the beacon of excellence that it is today.”