Siobhan Mather, aged just two, was last year diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a very rare child cancer. Siobhan has undergone various treatments in the UK and to further her chances of a full recovery she needs a vaccine which is only available in America. She is the bravest 2-year-old girl and is taking everything that this terrible disease can throw at her in her stride. In order to access treatment in the US Siobhan and her family need to raise £220,000.
Siobhan is the Niece of LFB Fire Safety’s Tracey McKenna who has herself been involved in fundraising efforts. Before Christmas Tracey did a 48 hour sponsored silence (anyone who knows Tracey knows how tough that would have been for her). Such was the outpouring of support for Siobhan’s cause that during the 48 hours silence, staff from across the Fire Safety Department helped Tracey with a cake sale to boost the fundraising efforts. That show of team spirt and support for a colleague made me question what I could do to help.
I had a marathon place but wasn’t sure if I would be able to run due to a nagging injury. However with 4 weeks to go before the marathon the injury seemed to ease and inspired by Siobhan’s battle with cancer, the efforts of her family and others to raise funds and the motivationally titled 4 week marathon training plan, ‘No promises, but if you follow this you might get round alive’, I decided to give it a go. Two weeks into the training I now feel confident I will at least make the starting line so this is my belated effort to raise some money for Siobhan.