Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

27th Feb - Charlie's top football team Hartlepool United take the time to promote his participation in the walk on their website after he had a great time meeting the players and management at training last week.

9th Feb - £2000 barrier broken - can't get my head around folks' support for this concern.

A year today 8th Feb, Charlie was diagnosed.  A boy of eight, now nine, mature before his time with his knowledge of certain things.  The difficult thing is trying not to wrap him up in cotton wool and let him live the life of a child. The phone calls and texts to family and friends were difficult telling them of his plight and today has been a difficult day, especially recalling the support and determination to beat the illness given by all, including his recently departed Nana, who at the time I told her last year was suffering from her third  bout of cancer.

Due to the immense response received so far, we're increasing our target.  A visit to hospital late on for Charlie Sunday night with a temperature and infection, reminded is once more that we need to do as much as we can for everyone, so please donate - -it goes direct to the Charity.

A year ago my son Charlie Foster was a normal, happy, seemingly healthy 8 year old boy, with a passion for sports and football in particular.  If he wasn't playing for his team who were top of the Teesside Jnr Alliance, he was into his third season as a season ticket holder at Hartlepool United.  A cold/flu over Christmas 2010 took a hold and didn't seem to want to budge, he didn't want to go to watch Pools, and was complaining of getting tackled at football.  Not like him at all.  He seemed okay though and continued at school, but a temperature close to 40 over the weekend of 5th Feb and a paler than normal colour led to an unwanted whirlwind of activitiy and the news on 8th February 2011 that he had ALL - Acute Lymphoblatic Leukemia.  The news that every parent dreads for their children had hit us.  The RVI in Newcastle was our home for the next six weeks as they treat him with blood transfusion, steroids, chemo, anti-biotics, painkillers, the works.  Chemo direct into his spine, lumbar punctures, I wince everytime.  Charlie has been heroic.  And that is an understatement.  Massive pain, weight fluctuations, sickness, hair loss etc.  He's been through it and due to the support of his family, the hospital, visits from Pools' players when he was at a low ebb, have enabled him to stay positive and saw him recoginised for his bravery in November 2011, when he was awarded a Brave Hearts award for ill children in the North East.  It doesn't matter how much pain he is in, how sad he feels, what treatment he is getting, he answers "fine, I'm fine"  My wife and I (his doting, dedicated mother and nurse) and his sister Katie have had a year of sleepness nights, on the alert everytime he sneezes, coughs, talks a little gravelly, every infection could mean a troubled hospital stay.  and he's had a few.  We have a bag permanently packed for a 3 night stay, we've had a few, we're well drilled.  Due to being busy with work, but working on the whole from home, I have not had the time to conisder swimming the channel, doing a marathon, but I can do a 5 mile walk, so we're doing the Sir Ian Terence Botham walk in Newcastle to raise money to beat this horrendous disease.  The walk is on 13th April 2012.  We hope Charlie will be there to meet the great man and take part in what will be a great occasion.  We need to raise a minimum of £150 and we hope that the money raised can go to look at a cure, different treatment, and care for all kids who suffer from this illness.  All money raised is going direct to the Charity.  Please apply gift aid.  Charlie has still over two years of daily, weekly and monthly chemo, and other medication to go.

So please dig deep and donate now.