Lily's Charity Challenge - Marathon Walk

Hello,

As many of you know, my younger sister Lily was diagnosed with cancer back in February 2024. Here is her journey. In September 2023, she was involved in a minor car accident. After the accident, she struggled with back pain, but despite having eight sessions of physio, her back was getting worse.

She visited the doctors a few times, and her pain was put down as muscle damage. In January, she started to be sick and lose weight, so the doctors arranged blood tests.

In February, she was diagnosed with cancer at just seventeen. She had a kidney and bone marrow biopsy at Nottingham QMC and was then transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary Teenage Cancer Unit.

She started an intensive round of chemotherapy and has so far had seven rounds. She was finally given a formal diagnosis in May; she has sarcomatoid-type renal cell carcinoma, which is extremely rare for someone of her age. She has a tumour in her kidney, but unfortunately, the cancer has spread to her back and lungs. The chemotherapy has made a slight improvement, but in June, she started immunotherapy treatment, which hopefully will give her long-term control.

While all this has been a massive shock to our family, we have decided to show Lily how many people support her by walking a marathon (26.2 Miles). We are doing this to raise money for two charities that have helped Lily during this horrific time.

An incredible charity that has supported Lily is The Little Princess Trust, which gave Lily a real hair wig free of charge. This has helped Lily regain her confidence, allowing her to have a sense of normality during this difficult time.

Another fantastic charity we are supporting is Wishes 4 Kids, a Leicestershire-based charity that grants a wish for children and young adults suffering life-changing illnesses. They have already granted thousands of wishes but need our help to grant thousands more. In Lily's case, they granted her wish of an iPad to help pass the long periods she has had to spend in the hospital. Additionally, they organise events to facilitate memorable days out free of charge for local youngsters.

We would love any donations to support our marathon walk. Additionally, if you want to support us further, we would love for you to raise some money and come and walk part of this marathon with us, or you can join us afterwards for a well-needed drink.

For updates, information, and questions about our route and stops, join our Facebook group: 'Lily's Charity Challenge'!