'To hear your two year old has cancer is the worse feeling I have ever felt'

A BUSHMILLS mother is urging all walking enthusiasts with a head for heights to help raise funding for Children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

Lesley McCloy, whose daughter Chloe was diagnosed in March 2009 with leukaemia, is looking for locals to join a five mile sponsored trek up Slieve Donard in County Down, Northern Ireland’s highest mountain.

Participants will be stepping out on Saturday 9th October from the Donard car park in Newcastle for the Mourne Mountain Walk in support of children and young people with cancer, and their families. Climbing to a height of 2,550ft walkers will take in stunning views of the County Down coast and as far a field as Belfast, some 30 miles to the north.

Lesley knows first hand the difference the care and support offered by the charity can make to families living with childhood cancer.

Lesley explained: “Leukaemia wasn’t a word I have heard very often but to hear your two year old has cancer is the worse feeling I have ever felt; everything was a daze.

“It is now a year and a half since Chloe was diagnosed and she continues to remain in remission, she is doing well now and we are extremely grateful to our CLIC Sargent Social Workers and Doctors at the Royal Victoria Hospital as they helped us through a very hard time. On 9th October my two sisters and my brother-in-law are doing the walk for CLIC Sargent as we are very grateful for their support.”

Registration costs 20 per person and participants are encouraged to raise as much as possible in sponsorship.

“Walking up Slieve Donard and taking in the awe-inspiring views is a fantastic experience,” added local Community Fundraising Manager for CLIC Sargent Fionnuala Savage.

“This guided walk is a fantastic way to enjoy Northern Ireland’s most beautiful mountain with other like-minded people and raise money for a worthwhile cause at the same time. We rely on donations to support children and young people just like Chloe with cancer and their families and events like these really can make a difference to those living with childhood cancer.”

Each week in Northern Ireland two children or young people are diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia. CLIC Sargent Northern Ireland acts as a lifeline keeping families together when the unimaginable happens. It provides clinical, psychosocial, emotional and financial care and support to them and their families.

For more information about the Mourne Mountain Walk or to register for the event contact Fionnuala Savage on 028 9072 5780, email [email protected] or download a registration flyer from the CLIC Sargent website - www.clicsargent.org.uk.