Thanks for visiting our fundraising page. We've joined together to raise money to support Young Lives vs Cancer in Rory’s name.

In May 2019 we gave birth to our first child, a gorgeous little boy who we named Rory. Four and a half months later, following various investigations at Bristol Eye Hospital for what we thought was a lazy eye, Rory was referred for an urgent MRI scan and quickly diagnosed with a tumour on his brain stem. Under the care of the neurosciences team at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children he underwent major brain stem surgery to biopsy the tumour and attempt to remove as much of it as possible. The surgeons performed a successful biopsy and a partial resection, but felt that they couldn’t safely remove the entirety of the tumour without leaving Rory with catastrophic side effects.

We were devastated to learn that the biopsy result showed that the tumour was medulloblastoma, an aggressive type of high grade cancer very rarely seen in babies. Rory was too young to undergo any radiotherapy treatment for the cancer, and so he began an intensive and gruelling chemotherapy regime two weeks after surgery. Rory remained the coolest cucumber ever throughout all of his treatment, keeping all three of us smiling in the face of extreme adversity.

Our hearts are so very broken to share that Rory's second round of chemotherapy went horribly wrong and he was admitted to PICU on Christmas Day 2019. As a result of the intensity of his chemotherapy treatment, Rory had contracted veno-occlusive disease (VOD) which subsequently led to multiple organ failure. Our little warrior spent a brave two and a half weeks fighting for his life, but passed peacefully away on Saturday 11th January. We are raising funds in his name to give back to the teams and wards that have helped us as a family and to research medulloblastoma. We are also hoping to progress the search for kinder treatment regimes which are less likely to result in devastating side effects such as VOD.

It goes without saying that Rory will forever be our hero and our daily inspiration to live life full of purpose and love. We will do so much good in his brave, beautiful spirit.

Young Lives vs Cancer have been present since the very beginning of Rory’s diagnosis and continue to help us find our way through the process as parents, including sourcing grant funding to make up for lost earnings and providing nursing care at home to reduce trips to hospital. They also help to cover unexpected funeral costs and provide the most incredible pastoral care to grieving families. Their support and guidance is making Rory’s diagnosis, hospital journey and death a far less lonely and terrifying experience.

All contributions will go to support the work of Young Lives vs Cancer; Every day 12 families are told their child has cancer. Young Lives vs Cancer is the only organisation to offer them all round care and support. Visit www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk to find out more.

Thank you for supporting Young Lives vs Cancer, Rory’s family and other families facing a cancer diagnosis.

If you'd like to raise money in Rory's name, you can start your own page under his fund here https://funds.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/theteamroryfund

Remember: Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never share them with anyone or send you unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. They'll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 25%) is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer, too. That means more money goes to the charity, faster, with Just Giving.

Thank you for your support.