Welcome to our page - Team Elsie take on the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday, 26th April 2015!

We are Anita, Annie and Clare and are really looking forward to running the London Marathon to raise vital funds for children's cancer research.

This is our group page for Abbie's Army which is a fantastic charity that funds research specifically into finding a cure for DIPG brain cancer.

Anita's daughter Elsie was diagnosed with DIPG brain cancer just after she turned six years old.  This rare tumour only affects children and is one of the most devastating types of children's cancer as it is terminal on diagnosis.  No effective treatments have yet been found - it's inoperable, there is no effective chemotherapy and any benefits of radiotherapy are only temporary.  Elsie was given 12-18 months to live - she survived for just 9 months. 

It would have been Elsie's 10th birthday just a few weeks after the Marathon so we are running to commemorate that special day and would love to raise at least £10,000 for Abbie's Army - and if we can smash that target even better!   As part of our fundraising efforts, we have already raised £3,600 for Clic Sargent and £1,500 for Children with Cancer to fund our marathon places.

We know each other as both Clare and Annie have children in Elsie's class - Annie's daughter Tilly was Elsie's best friend at school.  We are looking forward to taking on this challenge as finding a cure means so much to all of us - we are running for Elsie and for the other DIPG angels taken too soon.

Abbie's Army is a charity set up after a beautiful little girl Abbie died of the same DIPG brain tumour - she was treated at the same hospital as Elsie but was several weeks ahead in her treatment.  Sadly Abbie lived for only five months after diagnosis.  Abbie's Army work extremely hard to fund research specifically focused on DIPG tumours so that one day there will be a cure.

If you are inspired by this story and would like to do something you are more than welcome to fundraise with your own events - we'd love to hear what you are doing so please get in touch.

Lots of love from Anita, Annie and Clare x x x