Story
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">A marathon for my lovely boy</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">In the summer of this year our beautiful son Felix, aged 6, had been battling Neuroblastoma, a very aggressive childhood cancer, for 2 and a half years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Throughout the fight, Felix never lost his incredible spirit, his love of life, his smile. His life force, along with his identical twin brother Elliot and big sister Grace, inspired us all to get the very most out of every day that we are given.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">But all the many rounds of treatment and surgeries had taken its toll on his immune system and he just didn't have any more strength to fight it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sadly passed away on August 23 this year. His mum, dad, gorgeous sister and brother were at his bedside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His mum said 'His Jedi powers are needed somewhere else in the Universe now'.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">Felix, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><em><span style="color: #cc6600; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">May you continue to inspire us:<br>To enter each day with a generous heart.<br>To serve the call of courage and love<br>Until we see your beautiful face again<br>In that land where there is no more separation,<br>Where all tears will be wiped from our mind,<br>And where we will never lose you again’ (John O’Donohue)</span></span></span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">He had incredible care at the Childrens hospital of Philadelphia where we had come to try and save his life. The amazing Neuroblastoma Alliance, a small charity that helps families struck by this terrible disease, paid the bill, an enormous $1.5m. It is our pledge as a family to raise as much of this money as possible in order that other children be given the ‘lifeline’ that was given to Felix, that chance of life, that hope.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">So, I will be running the Brighton Marathon in April 2012. I vowed never to do another one after 1997, but I know that with Felix running by my side, his Jedi power in my heart and Elliot, Grace and Colleen shouting at me from the crowd, I will be fine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Please, if you can, sponsor me. It is so important that we give other kids the chance, the hope that Felix got.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">‘Hope is a good thing. Maybe the very best of things’ (Andy Defreyne)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Thanks</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Matt</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">For more on Felix’s story you can go to </span><a href="http://www.appeal4felix.com/"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">http://www.appeal4felix.com</span></a></p>