April 2024 my son Kian, then 15 years old, was as usual playing rugby, on returning home he suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed, he was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, we spent several agonising days waiting for a full diagnosis, only to be told he had terminal brain cancer. I can’t even begin to tell you how this makes you feel as a parent, it is just earth shattering.

A kind, popular, happy lad, he enjoyed playing rugby, exploring and hiking in the mountains, he just loved being outdoors! To see him go from being so active to relying on a wheelchair, was just heart-breaking. He bravely battled on, seeing his 16th birthday, and always giving us a smile.

We tried to make each day as special as we could for him, clinging on to the hope that a treatment in the meantime would be found for him and the nightmare would end. But four days before Christmas 2024 he peacefully passed away in my arms.

Devasting doesn’t even begin to sum up how you feel as a parent losing a child and it is still early days and incredibly raw, but it made me stop and think how it must impact on the child, whether it be themselves or watching a parent/loved one battling against cancer.

Even how it affected his friends. His lovely sweet girlfriend, Leah, arranged for all his friends to gather and release balloons in his memory. I will never forget seeing the children arriving with their balloons, at first just a few, then more and more gathered, I was utterly blown away by the outpouring of love for Kian and seeing the impact it had on his friends as they released their balloons, many written with personal messages to Kian.

I wanted to reach out and help in some way, as I know Kian would have, and felt I needed to find a focus at a time when you feel so lost. So when a friend mentioned the 26 Mountains to Mayo challenge in aid of Cancer Fund for Children, it felt so right.

Whilst I was brought up in England I have strong ancestry roots in Ireland and visit my mother, brother and family members on a regular basis around the Galway and Mayo border. Kian would come with me and we would go out hiking and exploring the mountains, so the challenge and finishing in Mayo seemed just perfect.

So in honour of my son, Kian, who I know will be with me every step of the way, I will be joining an incredible team of business leaders hiking across 26 of the highest mountains in Ireland across 9 days.

From 7th-15th June 2025, we will take part in the “26 Mountains 2 Mayo” challenge in aid of Cancer Fund for Children to raise vital funds and raise awareness for children and young people impacted by cancer across the island of Ireland.

FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE CHALLENGE PLEASE CLICK LINK: https://www.26m2m.com/team

Every month across the island of Ireland another 40 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer Fund for Children's mission is to ensure no child face this challenge alone, and it simply would not be possible without our support.

All donations towards this incredible event for this amazing charity would be so greatly appreciated.

You can find out more about the work of Cancer Fund for Children online at cancerfundforchildren.com.