I am Bobbie Gracie. I’m ten years old and I’m doing the Starlight Walk for St Catherine's hospice in memory of my Dad, Kat Gracie. He died in Saint Catherine’s Hospice just six weeks ago. The day my dad was diagnosed terminal my mum was then diagnosed with breast cancer, she is now undergoing treatment but I want to show them both that I am strong I shall be doing the walk satuarday 12th septemeber which is also my dads birthday. I know my dad would be proud ;) St Catherine's hospice were really good with my dad and were nice to me and my family and I want to help the hospice like they helped my dad

Saint Catherine’s Hospice

MEDIA RELEASE

10 Sept 2015

Brave Bobbie walks in memory of dad

A courageous young girl will mark her dad’s birthday by doing Saint Catherine’s Starlight Walk in his memory just six weeks after he died.

Ten-year-old Bobbie Gracie asked if she could take part in the hospice fundraiser after spotting a roadside banner for the walk and realising it fell on what would have been her dad’s 55th birthday.

It will also be exactly a year since Kenneth Gracie, known to everyone as “Kat”, found out on his birthday that he was suffering from lung cancer.

After battling the illness for months, he was told he was terminally ill in April on the same day Bobbie’s mum, Heather Brown, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment.

Bobbie, a pupil of Newby and Scalby School, said she wanted to take part in the walk to raise money for the hospice which had helped her dad.

“When I saw it was on his birthday, I really wanted to do it,” she said.

Bobbie has already shown incredible bravery by taking part in a national competition with Scarborough Gymnastics Academy just days after losing her dad and helping her team secure second place.

Now she is preparing for another tough challenge, walking 6.5 miles well into the night to help the hospice. 

“He was only in the hospice for two-and-a-half days but Saint Catherine’s was absolutely brilliant,” she said.

And she feels that Kat would have been so impressed by Bobbie’s bravery.