In March 2017 we heard the devastating news that our nephew Ben, aged 12, had been diagnosed with having a rare bone cancer. He had a malignant tumour on his leg which required treatment through a combination of chemotherapy at Noah's Ark Hospital Cardiff and surgery in Birmingham. The surgery has been successful and the prognosis is excellent with treatment continuing into early 2018. 

To say it has been difficult would be an understatement. Ben has been extremely unwell but he has a true fighting spirit. My sister Claire, my brother in law Andrew and niece Hannah, have all gone through a great deal of stress and worry as have the whole extended network of family and friends. Our world has truly been turned upside-down but we are all pulling together and supporting each other.

Latch is a charity based in Wales which supports children and their families following a diagnosis of cancer or leukaemia. They recognise the financial and emotional burden which families experience and the physical and mental toll the treatment takes on the child themselves. Latch supports the Paediatric Oncology Unit at University Hospital of Wales Cardiff, and their catchment area covers a huge area from Chepstow to Aberystwyth.

The cost of running the unit and supporting families is massive. For example, people like Claire and Andrew have to travel thousands of miles through the course of the treatment and therfore Latch provides accommodation during treatment, a facility which costs £20,000 a year to run. They also help purchase medical equipment like infusion pumps...these cost £5000 each. 

Latch spends thousands of pounds on making sure children are given activities to help them through their tough treatment, including games, books, toys, televisions, computer games...the list goes on. They even make a financial contribution to a holiday. And the support doesn't stop when the treatment stops; Latch also provides lifelong support to survivors of childhood cancer.

Over the next 12 months, I, together with our network of friends will be undertaking a number of running and cycling events to raise awareness and much needed funds for this amazing charity. There will also be other events to raise awareness...please see the 'updates' section on this page.

None of us dreamt that Ben would find himself in this situation, but thanks to Latch, he and his family are getting the support they need, when they really need it the most.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.


Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.