In the Summer of 2022 my little sister, Ximena, was diagnosed with a rare paediatric cancer in both her kidneys, making treatment complicated. The tumours grow very large very quickly but thankfully for Ximena it was caught early. She went through lots of surgeries including a very large surgery to her abdomen to remove the tumours and an extended period of chemotherapy. Throughout it all she was still my amazing, positive, and extremely energetic little sister. I am so proud of her and how strong she is.

It is now 9 months since she completed treatment - she is back at school; her hair is growing back; and she is back to bothering me again!

Cancer treatment for children is a scary time for the whole family. As soon as Ximena was diagnosed our family was referred by the hospital to Momentum who support children with cancer and other life-challenging conditions - helping them to cope more easily, whatever the outcome. They support families through the child's serious illness, diagnosis and treatment, as well as those families who sadly experience bereavement.

It was a lot for both Antonia (Ximena's twin) and I to take on board as our Mum and Dad became even busier than usual and naturally Ximena's health had to take priority. We all spent a lot of time in hospital and no family plans were ever guaranteed.

Momentum became a sort of glue and source of positivity in our family. They ensured that we still had stress-free time to simply have fun together - Santa came to visit on our doorstep when Ximena was too sick to go out; there were sweet treats and games for the long days spent in hospital; and family respite time out on the riverboat and in the Momentum cabins during the 12 months that Ximena was unable to travel.

We never felt left out when our parents were busy and there was always someone available for Antonia and me to talk to. We are so, so grateful for all that they did during that time. I hope that by showing my support now (I plan to run the London 10K in July!) and over the years to come Momentum will be able to reach out to even more families like ours.

Thank you so much for supporting Momentum. If there is anything that you would like to know, please ask me. You can also take a look at their website here: https://www.momentumcharity.org/