A mum, whose daughter tragically died aged just 10 from a brain tumour, has raised more than £2,600 for the children’s hospice which cared for her.
Lisa Bell, from Exning, set herself the challenge of running every day this month for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) after the charity’s Milton facility cared for her daughter, Sophie, in her final few weeks.
Sophie was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour, a malignant tumour that can sometimes spread to other parts of the brain, in February 2012.
As her condition began to deteriorate, Sophie began visiting EACH’s hospice in Milton, Cambridgeshire, along with her mum, her father Andrew and younger brother Isaac.
The family temporarily moved into the hospice for several weeks to avoid having to make long journeys for Sophie’s end-of-life care.
Sophie passed away on December 27, 2012.
MORE: Hospice ‘blown away’ by running club’s 4,712km fundraising odyssey
Mrs Bell has since dedicated much of her time fundraising for good causes in honour of her daughter, including raising a mammoth £120,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity over the years.
With the coronavirus pandemic cutting much of EACH’s income, Mrs Bell decided her next fundraising effort would be in support of the hospice which cared for her “very special” daughter Sophie.
She hopes to have run a total of 100 miles by the end of the month.
Mrs Bell said: “Sophie could get a smile and a conversation out of anyone and everyone she met. She was sporty, loved school and loved her friends.
“Staying at EACH was Sophie’s choice. She felt warm, safe and comfortable and so did we. It was like a big soft blanket was wrapped around us and we felt loved and cared for.
“They became a lifeline for us in the end.
“There was no question, no pushiness, no nothing as we continued to care for our daughter as only we felt we could and they supported us all the way. We owe EACH an incredible debt of gratitude.
“Knowing they are significantly down in revenue due to Covid-19, they are a charity, they aren’t funded by the government, knowing there is a risk of a child not getting the incredible love and care we received, we just can’t ignore it.”
MORE: Otto, 8, grows sunflowers for children’s hospice after sister’s major stroke at 9 months old
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here