In May 2019, my daughter Ellie, aged 15 was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. After two and a half years of treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Ellie's illness could no longer be treated and in January 2022, Ellie sadly died.

Ellie's final month was lit up by Make-A-Wish granting her wish to turn our home into a winter wonderland. Ellie's wish stemmed from our family tradition of going on walks and drives to look at all the beautifully lit up and decorated houses for Christmas. She described the day our house was decorated by Make-A-Wish as the best day of her life. 

I'm doing the London Winter Walk in memory of Ellie to help Make-A-Wish grant more wishes for critically ill children and give them and their families memories to savour forever and light up their lives in times of darkness. Ellie wanted to make sure that other children in her position could have something to look forward to amongst the endless hospital trips and treatments. She knew what a big difference it makes.

Thank you

Maria 

Who are Make-A-Wish?

Make-A-Wish® UK creates life-changing wishes that revive the childhood that critical illness takes away, bringing light and joy at the darkest of times for a child and their loved ones. But right now, there are 60,000 children in the UK living with a critical condition, and they don’t have the resources to be that light for everyone. Your generous support will help them step closer to achieving their vision: to grant a wish to every eligible child. Together, we have the power to light up the darkness.