hi everyone,

My name is Lisa Cochrane and I'm raising dollars to support my friend Daniel Lillford who is in hospital with a recurrence of throat cancer right now.

Some of you may know me. Others not. Many of you will know and love Daniel.

Daniel Lillford was born in Jersey, Channel Islands in the UK, and raised in Melbourne, Australia. Daniel and his wife Rachel Brighton have called Nova Scotia home since they moved here from Australia in 1997 and raised their three sons. They are the nicest family you’ll meet anywhere in the world!

I first met Daniel while he was watching British football with my English father drinking a warm pint. Somehow, they had found each other in Blandford. I subsequently became familiar with Daniel’s stellar work. I'm a massive fan.

Daniel Lillford is a professional actor, acclaimed playwright, and author based in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Daniel has worked internationally in the entertainment industry for over 40 years, with 35 original stage play productions produced at many theatres around the world, including the Segal Theatre in Montreal, and the Ship’s Company in Parrsborough here in NS.

As an actor, Daniel is best known locally for playing Colonel Leslie Dancer in Trailer Park Boys, as well as tv roles in Diggstown, Haven, and Snow Angels. You can read about Daniel's work on IMBD, or at https://www.martinezmanagement.com/daniel-lillford

As some of you know, Daniel was diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago. This was certainly a blow to Daniel, both personally and professionally. The voice is an important instrument for any actor, so a diagnosis in that part of the body was, and continues to be, very daunting.

Daniel has remained positive throughout his illness while enduring debilitating treatments. Eventually Daniel went into remission, wrote Ghost Breezes, a book of regional storytelling, and concentrated on rebuilding his strength and life.

Unfortunately, in 2025 Daniel suffered a heart attack and subsequently underwent a double bypass last October. This set Daniel back. More recently, just four months ago, Daniel’s throat cancer returned with a vengeance, and so he reluctantly went back into active treatment.

Daniel has been in hospital in Halifax for the past several months away from his family. This past July, Daniel was operated on for 3 throat cancer procedures which took 12 hours. This included some facial reconstruction surgery due to structural damage to his jaw from the radiation treatment given during his first cancer bout.

A new cancer was found on Daniel’s tongue, and was removed during the latest surgery. Currently, Daniel cannot swallow, has difficulty speaking and gets his nourishment from a feeding tube. He is awaiting the results of his latest scans for any further signs of cancer. Needless to say, Daniel’s medical condition is extremely serious. For an actor, this is a life altering experience.

This is the part where you come in!

This is an urgent call to support Daniel Lillford through a GO FUND ME appeal. Now is the critical moment for Daniel’s family, friends and colleagues around the world to step up to support Daniel and his family. They truly need our help. Besides worrying about making difficult choices about his health, Daniel has not been able to work for two years. As a result he and his family are struggling financially.

The $100,000 GO FUND ME goal reflects the amount needed to cover two years of living and household expenses while Daniel recovers and gets back to full, creative productivity.

Daniel is a proud, successful and independent artist who is unaccustomed to being in need. That said, I know Daniel is extremely grateful for any financial help you can give to support him and his family at this very difficult time. Any donation amount will make a massive difference to Daniel, ease his mental burdens and enable him to support his family and maintain their home life while he works to rebuild his health.

Let’s show Daniel some love!