saira hyde

Saira Khan

Fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity
£2,688
raised of £5,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
In memory of Ella Fosbury Hill
We are moving further, faster to help everyone affected by a brain tumour

Story

In April 2004 I ran my first ever London Marathon. I ran it with my hubby Steve and my time was 4hrs and 33minutes. I was glad that I had completed it, but I vowed I would never do it again. Then last year, as a joke, my hubby and I eneterd our names again into the free ballott and never thought about it again - I mean what are the chances of getting a free place in the London Marathon!!! Then one morning in  October 2013, my hubby walked up to me with 2 magazines in his hand - one read, "sorry you did not make it" the other said, "You're In" - I looked at him with a pinched expression on my face and said, "which ones mine??" he said smiling, "Congratulations, You're In' - I then looked up at the sky and said, "Ella, i'm doing this for you!!"

I am running in memory of Ella Fosbury-Hill who was the daughter of one of my best friends Caroline. Ella, died on September 7th 2013 aged just 11 years old of a brain tumour. Ella, like all children was special and beautiful in so many ways and I know that on April 13th  she will be looking down and cheering me on. Her memories have kept me going through my training over the last few months and when things get tough and my legs are aching, I remember who, what and why I am doing this and I dig deep and find that extra bit of strength and keep going.

This is Ella's story told by her mummy:

In March 2012, our beautiful and much-loved daughter Ella was diagnosed with a rare and highly aggressive form of Brain Cancer - Gliobastoma Multiforme (GBM4).If that were not enough, Ella presented in emergency with hemiplegia, a form of paralysis which affected her left side.  Her speech and language was also affected. 

Ella underwent surgery to remove as much tumour as possible, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She was in hospital for almost three months before she was able to come home.   She responded well to treatment with the remaining tumour starting to shrink.  Ella was incredibly brave and endured all the hospital visits, treatments and needles with grace and dignity at all times. She never complained and mostly always had a smile on her face.  

She worked really hard at her physiotherapy and started to regain the use of her right leg with the aid of splint..  and slowly, slowly, movement in her arm started to come back.  She also had to learn words and how to write and count again with the help of some lovely ladies who came regularly to our home.  

She was joyful at being able to return to school in September and formed a very special bond with her one to one teachers.  

She also enjoyed singing lessons at home - singing was her passion - in fact she once said Singing is my life!  

Despite a dismal prognosis, Ella was doing really well. She enjoyed her regular physiotherapy sessions and her walking continued to improve as was her speech and language.  By her 11th birthday in February 2012, almost a year on, she was on really good form and went to the Harry Potter Studios and walked the entire exhibition with her special friends.   We were very hopeful at this stage that Ella would be one of the lucky few children who defy the odds and would hopefully one day be in full remission. 

We tried to do as many nice things as possible and she enjoyed a visit to Euro Disney in May, and also trip to our favourite spot in Spain. We were looking forward to going back in the summer holidays with her sister Maya and dad Al, and all our friends we usually see during our holidays.  

Towards the end of the summer term, we noticed Ella's health declining a little. She was losing her spark. She was also being sick occassionally.   We raised our concerns and eventually her doctors agreed to do an early MRI scan.  Our worst fears were confirmed - the tumour was growing again.    

We thought we would be able to have further surgery and new treatments as there was a vaccine trial newly available. OUr hopes were dashed when we were told that due to the direction the tumour was growing (into the brainstem and across the midline) that operating again would be impossible and would likely leave Ella without any speech or swallowing.  Further Chemo would seem very unkind and was extremely unlikely to work since we had already had the best one and that had failed.   We were advised to take Ella home and enjoy the time we had left.

Within a week she was unable to walk and was suffering vertigo and sickness as the tumour continued to grow.  Clearly feeling very poorly, we tried to fill the summer holidays making happy memories with our precious daughter while we watched her slowly deteriorate.        

Throughout her suffering, Ella remained cheerful and optimistic, enjoying visits from her family and friends, and even got to meet Dynamo the magician - a special moment. All those who knew and loved her constantly commented on how she was always smiling, and how inspiring she was. 

Despite a truly courageous battle, she lost her fight on 7th September 2013.  Our hearts were broken. 

We want to make sure that Ella's memory lives on and that through her suffering other children who find themselves battling this disease will have a better chance of getting well again. 

Just one last thing - a few days after Ella passed away, I found some little pebbles in her bag that had been given to her.  One had the word Live, another Laugh and then there was a heart.. LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE...  it's a motto we want to share as it so beautifully sums up what Ella, did and gave to the world during her all too short life - and it’s a wonderful way to remember her.

LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE for Ella.. xxx 

 

Please help me to raise money so that "The Brain Tumour Charity" can improve understanding diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours. The 'Ella Fosbury Hill Fund' will specifically benefit research into childhood brain cancer. 

Thank you for your support.

 

 

About the charity

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we’re moving further and faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour. A cure really can’t wait

Donation summary

Total raised
£2,688.00
+ £552.00 Gift Aid
Online donations
£2,388.00
Offline donations
£300.00

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