At our Chamber Christmas Social earlier this week we were delighted to meet the Simpson family. You may have already heard Edward’s story, but if not, I’ll let him tell you.
Hello. My name is Edward and I am a 12 year old living in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
Last September, 3 days into the start at my new secondary school, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and my year turned out to be very different to the one I had previously dreamt of. I had to have a lot of operations (9 in total), spent long periods of time in hospitals in Gloucester, Bristol and Great Ormond Street in London (my Mum lost count after the 140th night), went through 6 weeks of high dose brain and spine radiotherapy and a following 6 months of intensive chemotherapy cycles. I have had to learn to walk again following surgery and it has taken a long time to get myself up and about without needing a wheelchair.
Whilst going through all this, it shocked me to learn that, despite being the number 1 cancer killer of children and adults under 40, brain tumour research is drastically underfunded when compared to all other cancer types. This means that many of the treatments are old and brutal, with long term and devastating side effects, and for some tumour types there is no treatment at all. I have therefore made it my mission to try and do something to help…
Football has always been my hobby and my passion. I played for a local football club until my diagnosis and my goal is to get back on the pitch as soon as I can. Football was also my escape whilst in hospital. When talking football, I didn’t have to think about the sickness, hair loss, operations, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, infections, loneliness, the fear or the pain. Football helped keep me going and it helped give me strength. It helped bring me together with the outside world. It was therefore an obvious choice to make football the focus of my fundraising for brain tumour research.
Through ‘100 strikes at cancer’, I will be taking 100 penalty kicks (often with only a sister for a goalie and jumpers for goalposts) at 100 different locations. This is not as easy as you might think. I was unable to walk at all for a long time and my balance is still a problem following the surgery. However, I am determined to do this! It is important that I do my best to help the many others who will go through a similar diagnosis in the future.
I would be deeply grateful if you could consider making a donation to support my cause. We are looking for 100 companies to donate £100 in support of my 100 strikes. Will you help?
Donations can be made on the just giving website at the address below and each donation will go directly to the Brain Tumour Research Charity.
Thank you. Every penny is needed, every penny will help.
Edward
PS: Fancy following me on my journey? Instagram: 100strikes (100edwardsimpson)
Twitter: 100 strikes (@100edsimpson) Facebook: 100 strikes
A number of Chamber members have already donated to this very worthy cause so we wanted to help the Simpson family by inviting them to meet them and other local businesses. We hope you will want to help them too.