Our colleague Alan Birikorang sadly lost his only child, daughter Daisy (aged just 13) to Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare paediatric cancer.

Daisy was diagnosed with high risk alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) on the 8th of August 2022, aged 12. She was treated across Great Ormond street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) with frontline chemotherapy over 9 months plus an additional 29 daily radiotherapy sessions. Daisy was due to start maintenance chemotherapy in March 2023, however, two new lumps were found at a routine scan. As a result, she started relapse chemotherapy in May 2023 enduring an additional 8/12 treatments. By the end of September the treatment stopped working, Daisy decided to STOP chemo treatment, she was experiencing all the side effects with no benefit. She made a decision with a maturity far beyond her years. An awakening to life that comes with experiencing deep suffering.

In November 2023, Daisy tragically passed away from the rare, aggressive childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma.

On 12th October 2025, we are doing the Royal Parks Half Marathon in support of Daisy’s Arc (in partnership with Alice’s Arc) to raise vital funds for research to find a cure so no child is lost to this cruel disease. To read more about Daisy’s Arc, please visit https://www.alicesarc.org/arc/daisy-birikorang/).

Thank you for your support and generosity.