Emilie Lefrancois
Clarendon Way Walk
Fundraising for Naomi House Children’s Hospice (Wessex Children's Hospice Trust)
Story
I will be walking 42K on Sept 12th as a tribute to our incredibly brave 8-year-old daughter Zoe who died of brain cancer (DIPG) on June 12th, 2019 after a 3-year fight.
DIPG is a highly aggressive and difficult to treat paediatric brain tumour. Malignant cells are scattered amongst healthy cells in the brain stem so they cannot be removed. DIPG leaves kids mentally intact but steals essential bodily functions over time as the tumour grows, such as vision, chewing, swallowing, walking and breathing. DIPG is often considered the worst type of cancer in existence. DIPG strikes between 4-11 years of age. Around 40 children are affected per country per year, equivalent to 1 diagnosis every 9 days. The average survival for DIPG is just 9 months and 90% will die within 2 years of diagnosis. DIPG has a survival rate of 0% as there are no cure. Neil Armstrong’s daughter died of DIPG in 1962. There has been no standard, effective treatments developed in 40 years. There is no known cause to DIPG and yet our unique daughter had DIPG.
I will be supporting my local hospices Naomi House & Jacksplace as we were given the opportunity to stay there three times including Zoe’s last stay when she actually passed away there. Their nursing, care, play and family support teams are experts in delivering the crucial emotional, spiritual and developmental aspects of care that our families need. Their emphasis on innovation, clinical excellence and holistic care means they can care for children and young people with some of the most complex medical needs. Your donation could go towards a much-needed respite stay, vital nursing care, family bereavement support, a messy play session, a dip in the hydrotherapy pool, sensory therapy and many more services that Naomi House & Jacksplace provides. Moments that mattered for our family.
This will be my first walking marathon and it will be for our beautiful Princess and great Warrior Zozo. Every little bit will help me reach my goal, so please give what you can to support this worthy cause. Thank you very much in advance for your help, again.
Naomi House & Jacksplace are hospices for children and young adults with life limiting conditions and life threatening conditions.The charity provides care to people living in communities across the seven counties of central southern England.The charity has two specialist units: Naomi House for children, and Jacksplace for teenagers and young adults. Each unit offers an appropriate environment for each age group. Services offered include respite care, emergency care, end-of-life care and ongoing bereavement support. We seek to raise £9.2 million to run the two units each year, with less than 11% of income coming from the Government and other statutory bodies. As a result, we rely on the generosity of people in the community like yourself to continue its work. Your support enables the charity to provide these crucial care services, free of charge, to children, young adults and their families, so thank you!
