Fifty runners race for Grace
This October, an incredible team of 50 mums and dads hope to run the Beachy Head Marathon in memory of five year old Grace to raise money for Neuroblastoma UK and Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.
About Grace
“Grace was an amazing daughter and the life and soul of our home. She was a beautiful, fun loving and cheeky little girl... ”
Grace was two years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma
Grace was two years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, in 2017. She needed intensive cancer treatment immediately including chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy to fight the cancer and lived a normal, happy life for nearly two years.
But in May 2019, a bruise appeared near her eye and began to get bigger. Her parents Catriona and Simon knew that Grace’s cancer had returned. They made the hard decision to not continue with any more harsh treatment, to give Grace the best quality of life whilst they could.
Grace sadly passed away in September 2019 when she was just five years old, leaving behind her parents Catriona and Simon and two older siblings.
Team Race for Grace
Grace lived a normal, happy life for nearly two years until her cancer relapsed.
Grace’s mum and team member Catriona said "Grace was an amazing daughter and the life and soul of our home. She was a beautiful, fun loving and cheeky little girl who was sadly taken away from us after a long fight with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.
“Running Beachy Head Marathon has given me a goal to focus on over the next few months, and training with all these amazing friends and family helps me get through each day. All of these women (and some men!) are so glad to be part of something special to remember Grace.
“We’ve all become really good friends and it’s amazing to see everyone giving up their time to raise money and raise awareness of such a cruel disease.”
The team of mostly female non-runners, including Grace’s family in Ireland and Sussex, along with parents and teachers from Grace’s school are calling their run 'Race for Grace’. For most, this will be their first-ever marathon.
Supporting two charities to say thank you
Team Race for Grace are aiming to raise £25,000 for Neuroblastoma UK and Christopher's, a Shooting Star Children's Hospice in Guildford, to say thank you for the care and support that Grace received during her treatment and beyond. So far they have raised over £3,500!
Catriona continued, “As Grace’s family, we wish to reciprocate the support that we received by fundraising for Neuroblastoma UK and Christopher’s, two charities who urgently need our help right now.
“We can’t stop thinking about the other children who are going through what our Grace experienced - we really want to help Neuroblastoma UK fund more important research to make these treatments kinder and more effective. You don’t really realise what hospices actually do until you’re there, but everyone at Christopher’s was so kind and caring throughout Grace’s stay so this is our way of saying thank you.”
The money raised will help Neuroblastoma UK to fund vital research into neuroblastoma, to help improve diagnosis and treatment for children with the disease. It will also enable Christopher’s Hospice to provide care for children with life-limiting conditions in London and Surrey.
Training in lockdown
The team have been having fun with their lockdown training!
The team has been really innovative with their training efforts during lockdown, including virtual training sessions via Zoom, squat and stair challenges and a virtual relay race. The local community have even chalked messages of support on roads around their training routes!
Thanks to the support of Grace’s family and friends, we can help scientists search for new and kinder treatments for children with neuroblastoma.
We are so grateful to Team Race for Grace and admire their dedication, innovativeness and resilience to carry on training, despite all the obvious challenges!
To support Race for Grace, visit their fundraising page at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RaceForGrace2020 or read updates on their Facebook page: fb.me/RaceForGrace2020