A TEENAGER from Denton who survived childhood leukaemia is urging people from across the region to put their best foot forward to help beat blood cancers.
A TEENAGER from Denton who survived childhood leukaemia is urging people from across the region to put their best foot forward to help beat blood cancers.
Fleur Guyton, 15, wants as many people as possible to join her for the Norfolk Forget Me Not Walk next week.
The money raised on August 15 will help Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research invest in life-saving research into all blood cancers.
When she was just four, Fleur was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in 1997 after collapsing at home. She was taken to hospital and diagnosed within the hour.
Her mother, Rudolphine, said: “The sense of shock was tremendous. We'd been worried for a while: she'd been lethargic, her eyes and her legs were covered with black bruises.”
Fleur underwent two years of chemotherapy at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital and three weeks of radiotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research has invested about �9m in projects to find better treatments for children, teenagers and adults.
Having recovered well, Fleur is determined to beat blood cancers as part of the charity's Norwich & Norfolk Fundraising Group.
“Sadly some people are not as lucky as I've been,” she said, “but that's why it's so important that research continues. Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research's work saved me; I want to make sure they can save everyone diagnosed with a blood cancer.”
The family-friendly Norfolk Forget Me Not Walk will take place in the grounds of Langley School near Loddon, where Fleur is a pupil. Starting at 11am, walkers will take a five-mile route through the elegant grounds at a leisurely pace.
Pupils and staff from the school will be walking with Fleur but she is keen for as many people from across East Anglia to take part.
She said: “Everybody is welcome. This year is Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research's 50th birthday so I'd love the walk to be a big celebration, so let's make it a birthday to remember.”
Anyone wishing to join in should contact organiser James Wright on 020 7269 9006 or visit www.forgetmenotwalks.com
The entry fee is �7.50 for adults, �5 for children of 12 and under, and �20 for a family of two adults and two children.
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