On the 27th November 2011, after a long illness suffered so bravely, Fiona Walker died quietly at home in Gullane. 

 Fi was in her last year of school when she first felt numbness in her left leg, in the following months this would spread to both legs. After much testing and medical examination it was established that there was an abnormality in her spinal cord, this led to a biopsy which confirmed that Fi had a malignant tumour. Despite doctor’s best efforts and use of radio and chemo therapies the tumour could not be prevented from travelling up the spine, eventually settling in her brain and neck.

Her illness resulted in a cancelled gap year which meant she was stuck at home while friends were embarking on exciting travels. During these dark times, Fi always remained positive and showed great courage right up until her final days. Even after her death the attitude she showed has proved an inspiration to many and will never be forgotten. The number of friends and family that came to her funeral and memorial service showed the amount of lives she touched in her unfairly short one.

 Having known Fi since prep school days, her absence is hard to get used to. Her larger than life personality and sense of good fun meant there was never a boring moment when Fi was around. In memory of our friend Fi, on the 21st April 2013, Sam Heward and Tom Greville Williams will be running 26.2 miles in the London Marathon to raise money for the fantastic cause that is Teenage Cancer Trust and to help remember the amazing person that was Fiona Walker.

When Fi was struggling with illness the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, which treated her, didn’t have a Teenage Cancer ward. As a result hospital was a very alien place for Fi as there were so few patients anywhere near her in age around and this only made the anxiety and anger worse for her. Teenage Cancer Trust is gradually building appropriate units in all the major oncology hospitals around the country. They will be equipped with appropriate furnishings and staff to make teenagers like Fi feel much more at home and this will make a tremendous difference to the morale of the patients. Fi knew the fundraising efforts her friends were making were going to be too late for her but she was very keen to see help for others who would suffer illness like her at her age.

We ask for your support for the marathon and for awareness of this fantastic cause. We understand that such was Fi’s popularity, a lot of people are currently fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust, but we would be hugely grateful for a donation. By donating you will be improving teenagers’ like Fi’s fight against cancer.

Thank you very much for your support,

Sam and Tom

 

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