On Saturday 11th February there is a sponsored walk planned to take place from Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium to Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium.

 

It's not far (probably about 7 miles), but of the 3 of us: the fittest has a dodgy knee, the youngest spends >90% of his waking hours on FIFA 12 or Battlefield 3, and the other one, well, walking up stairs is an event!  We live in Wigan, but, as a family 'enjoy' the schism that means some of us have WAFC and others have BWFC season tickets.  Oh the joy of derby day!

 

Anyway... that's what this page is about - but the proper story about this wonderful little girl Emma is here...

 

On 11th February 2011 Emma, a beautiful little 3 year-old girl was diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer which affects children under the age of 5.

 

Since diagnosis, Emma’s had a number of operations including a biopsy of the tumour in her tummy which caused her to start bleeding into the tumour causing her stomach to swell making it hard for her to breathe. She’s also undergone several rounds of chemotherapy, which caused renal failure.

 

Her 6½ hour operation to remove the tumour, which had measured 18cm x 6cm at the start of her treatment, was successful. Emma then went on to receive high dose therapy with stem cell rescue. The next step for Emma is radiotherapy, due to start on 10th of October.

 

The majority of high-risk neuroblastoma patients will experience disease relapse. Once relapse occurs, there are no curative options in the UK. At Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, an antibody therapy (immunology) has been developed to specifically target the microscopic disease that causes relapse.

 

Emma has fought a ferocious battle, and has come through it despite the odds.  More amazingly, Emma is still laughing and making people laugh. The immunotherapy is her very best chance to prevent recurrence of the cancer.

 

We desperately want to give her this chance at life.  But the treatment comes at huge cost.  We need to raise in excess of £ 210,000. Please help us!