Mum encourages families to go walking for kids with cancer

On February 25, the charity hopes that local families will be kicking off the winter chills by taking part in one of its annual family-friendly sponsored walks.

Winter Woolly Walk encourages families to join them for a great family day out, whilst also raising funds to support families affected by cancer.

Tracey McGeehan’s family will once again be attending their Winter Woolly Walk in County Tyrone next year, and are encouraging others to step out and join them.

Tracey’s daughter Cassie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 when she was just 18 months old, and since then the family have benefitted from a range of support from Cancer Fund for Children.

Tracey said: “When Cassie was diagnosed with a brain tumour, our lives felt like a jigsaw that had been thrown up in the air and came down in a million pieces. It was absolutely devastating. Thankfully the doctors came up with a treatment plan that worked for her, putting her back on the road to recovery.

“However unfortunately life will never be the same for her, even though she has now recovered from her brain tumour. Her growth has been affected and even though she will be eight in February, she is still the same size as a child in primary one. She also gets very tired in the evenings, and still needs an injection every day too.

“But she takes it all in her stride and is still her usual bubbly self. We are so thankful that she recovered and are very aware that things could have been a lot different – that’s why we try and do all we can to raise awareness of the amazing work that Cancer Fund for Children do.

“We’ve been doing the Winter Woolly Walk for a few years now, and we all absolutely love it. It’s lovely to be able to get out together as a family and do something fun that’s also great exercise too. We hope many local families will join us by pulling on their trainers, hats, gloves and coats, and wrapping up warm to support other families affected by cancer.”

There are eight walks taking place including Belfast, Tyrone, Portstewart, Newcastle, Antrim, Fermanagh, Lurgan and Derry/Londonderry.

Each walk ranges from three to five miles and is the perfect excuse to kick of those winter blues and rally the family together for a great day out in the fresh air.

Cancer Fund for Children fundraiser Naomi Braithwaite, added: “This year, we hope to raise an amazing £30,000 from the Winter Woolly Walk. We rely heavily on fundraising activity from events like the Winter Woolly Walk to be able to support families in Northern Ireland devastated by cancer. These vital funds will enable our team of experienced Specialists to help families cope with the impact cancer has on their lives supporting them during and after treatment and sadly in some cases, bereavement.”

Make a difference to local families living with cancer by stepping out on February 25. Locations include The Lagan Towpath in Belfast, Tollymore Forest Park in Newcastle, Lurgan Park, Antrim Castle Gardens, St Columb’s Park in Derry/L’Derry, Castle Coole in Fermanagh, Drum Manor Forest Park in Cookstown and Portstewart Strand.

Registration is from 10am with walks starting at 10.30am except Tollymore which will start at 10am, with registration at 9.30am.

For more info and to register email [email protected] or call 028 9080 5599. Keep an eye on our website cancerfundforchildren.com and Facebook page for Winter Woolly updates. Winter Woolly Walk is kindly supported by NI4Kids.