This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Mexa Solutions is raising awareness for this cause, and the charity Alice's Arc, in support of an incredible local Stubbington girl Sophie.

Sophie has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, and has spent the last year campaigning and raising awareness and money to fight this disease - all whilst continually battling the disease herself. Mexa Solutions wants to help raise awareness this September, as we've been following Sophie's journey and want to help her make a difference.

About 1,900 children (up to the age of 15) in the UK are diagnosed with cancer each year.  These cancers tend to occur in different parts of the body to adult cancers and they respond differently to treatment. In the UK, around 2,200 teenagers and young adults (15 - 24 yrs old) are diagnosed with cancer each year.

This September, we want to raise the profile of the fantastic work these charities do.  Throughout the month we will be raising awareness, but at the end of this month on Tuesday 28th September, we shall be completing a sponsored desk walk.

Between us, we will be walking non-stop over the course of the working day, with the aim of covering at least 25 miles. This will all be whilst undertaking our normal day jobs!

Please do give what you can - this money is going directly to Alice's Arc to fund more research and support those working to fight childhood cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma.

Alice’s Arc was inspired by Alice's journey with cancer. She was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at age 3 in March 2015. She had 20 months of chemotherapy at GOSH, UK and proton radiation in the US. Alice spent a year cancer free but it returned in February 2018. She underwent 6 months of chemotherapy and a procedure known as AMORE in Amsterdam involving surgery and brachytherapy. Alice spent another year clear before tumours were found in her abdomen and pelvis in July 2019. There were no options left. Alice died, aged 7, in October 2019.

Alice's Arc works with the Institute of Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden, and Great Ormond Street Hospital to help improve outcomes for children and adolescents with rhabdomyosarcoma.