Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Young Lives v. Cancer, or Clic Sargent as they were then called, were among the first visitors we had when Sholto was diagnosed with leukaemia in February 2017 and we suddenly found ourselves effectively living at Great Ormond Street Hospital. It was quite terrifying, not only emotionally, but practically. I spent the night he was diagnosed emailing my editors, pulling out of writing various stories, and cancelling a work trip to New York - while S was receiving an emergency blood transfusion in the bed next to me. 

Clic Sargent were amazing, talking me through benefits Sholto would be eligible for, supporting me with the reams of paperwork (the admin involved in getting a disabled parking permit is quite something) etc.

And every time another child is diagnosed with cancer, they swoop in and give them and their families the same support - and, often, more. We were lucky being in London, for those who live more rurally this charity provides accommodation for the partner and other children  (it splits you in two, having a critically ill child  - there were so many days and nights when I was separated from one or other child, and Andrew.) I had an incredibly supportive family and network of friends, and amazing employers - even as a freelancer - and thus was able to continue to do (some) work. So many don’t, and aren’t. And treatment for so many childhood cancers is LONG. Sholto had 3 years and 4 months of chemotherapy.

And it’s Sholto, really, who wants to do this. This February marks 5 years since his diagnosis, and what could be more life affirming than spending the month that he was historically hooked up to countless tubes and barely allowed out, running? He hates running, incidentally, but he wants to raise money to help other children who are in the position he once was. 

It was Young Lives v. Cancer who arranged the support groups I so desperately needed in the aftermath, this time last year, too.  They were on Zoom, because it was lockdown, and I was going slowly bats, keeping a  list in my head of how many months post-treatment every child I knew of who had relapsed, had relapsed, subterfugely weighing Sholto to check he wasn’t losing weight, and trying to keep morale up while homeschooling. And those support groups really, really helped. 

So please do support this charity, if you can. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.