When our son Calum was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of three, we were devastated. He faced three years of intense treatment including chemotherapy, blood transfusions and long hospital stays at the Royal Hospital for Children in Edinburgh. During this time, Young Lives vs Cancer (previously CLIC Sargent) provided Home from Home accommodation near the hospital, allowing us to stay together as a family with our other young son.

Calum was often extremely unwell due to his suppressed immune system and spent time in high dependency care. It was an overwhelming and frightening period, but the support and safe accommodation provided by Young Lives vs Cancer gave us stability and a sense of normality when we needed it most.

It is now 20 years since Calum finished treatment, and I want to mark this milestone by fundraising to support families currently facing childhood cancer. Young Lives vs Cancer continues to provide accommodation, specialist social workers, and vital emotional and financial support to families across the UK.

I also hope to encourage people to consider becoming blood donors. Calum relied on blood transfusions during his treatment, something I never imagined when I became a donor myself at 19. My husband and our other son are also blood donors