Please help me to raise money for the Elliot Dallen Trust. All money raised by this event will then be doubled and donated to JULIA'S HOUSE, which runs two hospices specifically for children.

Wednesday 23rd May 2018 is a day I'll never forget. My wife and I had spent a lovely afternoon at the beach, and had just arrived home when the phone rang. It was my son, Elliot. "Hi Dad, how are you?....I've got some bad news"

I assumed he'd been made redundant, but he went on to say that he'd been peeing more then usual, and had been referred for a scan. What he said next were words that no parent wants to hear. "I have a tumour on my right adrenal gland, and it's Stage 4, terminal cancer. Apparently I only have a 7% chance of living another 5 years"

Elliot was 29, lived life to the full, took part in triathlons and looked a picture of good health. He had 6 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, and major surgery to remove his right kidney and adrenal gland, gall bladder and 20% of his liver.

He wrote a blog called "The Cortisol Diaries", which is a detailed yet amusing account of his life with cancer. He also had two articles published in The Guardian, the second of which was on 7th September 2020. The very same day that he died. He was 31. (The blog and the Guardian articles can be found on the internet).

Elliot spent the last few weeks of his life at St Christopher's Hospice in London, where he received excellent care and support. Hospices provide much needed end of life care at no cost to the individual or their family, and are currently facing a funding crisis.

The Elliot Dallen Trust has recently made donations to St Christopher's Hospice and also to the Marie Curie Hospice in South Wales. We are now going to make a donation to Julia's House, which has a children's hospice in Dorset and another in Wiltshire.

When Elliot started Chemotherapy he knew that his hair would gradually fall out, so rather than wait for that to happen he and two friends took part in "Brave the Shave" and raised £4,200 for Macmillans.

As Elliot's dad I should have shaved my head in support ...but it's never too late. It's not something I'm looking forward to, as I really like my hair, but on Saturday 14th November it's all coming off. I plan to video the whole scary event at a venue yet to be agreed.

PLEASE sponsor me, and if you "Gift Aid" your donation then for every £ you donate, the tax man will add on 25p.

In addition the trustees of the Elliot Dallen Trust have agreed that for every £ donated they will match it £ for £, up to a maximum combined total of £20,000. A cheque presentation wlill then be arranged with Julia's House.

Please try to imagine what it must be like to have a child with a terminal illness. Julia's House does such amazing work, so please help me to help them and donate what you can.

Thank you so much.

https://www.elliotdallentrust.org

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