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https://www.facebook.com/JosephLillywhite?fref=ts

Six people. Two smokers. One mother of two. One photographer. One ballroom-dancer. And Paul. Thirteen point one miles.  Have I built this up enough yet?

This year, Team Chatter will be channeling the Olympic spirit of our Yorkshire brethren - the Brownlees,  Jessica Ennis, and the rest - as we lace up our trainers and lather on the Vaseline, and take part in the Leeds Half Marathon. Not gonna lie, we’re doing it as a team, so we’re each doing around 2 miles rather than the full whack, but that’s more than enough for some of us! Still, it’s a challenge, and we’re looking forward to a sprint around the ring-road before hitting the finish line in the city-centre.

But we’re not doing this just for our own health. We’ll soon be passing round the collection tin, asking you for donations to a great cause in support of a very brave little boy. 

Joseph Lillywhite, aged 5, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma in January 2013. Neuroblastoma is a very aggressive childhood cancer that causes 15% of childhood cancer deaths. Two children are diagnosed every week in the UK. Unfortunately, long-term survival for children with high risk neuroblastoma is less than half the average rate for other childhood cancer and relapse rates are high. 

Despite neuroblastoma being “high risk” there is no Protocol in the UK  for relapse neuroblastoma if treatment is needed. More often than not children and their families are required to raise money for treatment in either Europe or the United States. 

The Neuroblastoma Alliance UK helps children if they can't join UK trials or if they need a clinical treatment that is only available abroad. To date, they have enabled 21 children to access the potentially life-saving clinical treatment abroad, and have funded ground-breaking neuroblastoma research. They also support families, and will support Joseph and his family in the future should he need to travel abroad for additional treatment. 

Hopefully, Joseph won’t require any further treatment, in which case any funds raised will go directly to The Neuroblastoma Alliance UK to help fund other children who do need further treatment. In addition, the funds will aid the research and development of new and improved treatment of this childhood cancer.

 

So, please, support this great cause. And if you’re around Leeds on the 11th May, it would be great to see you on the roadside cheering us on!