My Story

I am running the Manchester marathon on April 16th 2023. I was inspired by the below story. Sophia is the daughter of one of my wife's work colleagues

Every day 12 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK. In august of 2021 that day came for Sophia who was 2 at the time, she had been a little unwell and complaining of tummy pain. After multiple trips to the doctors a fantastic GP pushed for a blood test which showed increased levels of a cancer marker, two days later the crushing diagnosis was confirmed that Sophia had a rare form of liver cancer. Over the next 6 months Sophia had 8 rounds of chemotherapy and nearly two thirds of her liver removed along with her gallbladder and part of her intestine. She was an absolute rockstar through it all and despite the treatment causing permanent hearing loss we got the awesome news in march not long after her 3^rdbirthday that she was in remission. Sophia will have regular checks monthly for the next 3-5 years. During all of this our lives and Sophia’s brothers life were turned upside down, Candlelighter’s a local children’s cancer charity were luckily on hand to help support no only Sophia but the whole family from play teams on the wards and in clinic, to counselling services for her brother to guidance and advice and a shoulder to cry on when needed, and they don’t stop helping when treatment stops they are there to help long term. They are a charity and rely on donations which like all charities have been hit by the pandemic and cost of living challenges but they never give up and along side their hands on support for families they also support further research into childhood cancers and their treatment.