Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In May 2024, our son, aged 15, was diagnosed with a type of Lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer. He was admitted to Ward 33 at Leeds General Infirmary for treatment.

Candlelighters help patients and their whole family throughout their cancer journey, organising counselling, pamper sessions, massage, group therapy, funding toys and much more. At Leeds General Infirmary, they were a visible presence on the ward, going out for ice lollies when, because of the side effects of treatment, our son couldn’t eat, helping distract our son when he was having procedures, providing a smiling face and being someone to talk to when we were going through every parent’s worst nightmare. They also give families the opportunity to go on holiday together, to process their diagnosis, to spend time together and to make memories.

The Teenage Cancer Trust provides funding for the ward at Leeds General Infirmary. Without this funding, teenagers 13-18 would have to receive their treatment on the main adult ward, with much older adults or on the children’s ward, with very young children. The teenage cancer trust funds many things, such as, bedside TV’s, games consoles, craft activities, a day room and funds group activities and events to help young people recover and process a cancer diagnosis both mentally and physically. This service helped keep our son mentally positive and motivated to get better, it also provided a brief relief from the clinical environment we spent months in.

As we live in a rural area and have strong links with the farming community, we thought it would be fitting to raise money for The Teenage Cancer Trust by holding a Christmas Tractor Run. We would love people to come and watch the run and there will be opportunities to make donations on the day. But if you can't make it or want to give any amount, however big or small, via Just Giving, we would be extremely grateful.

Our son finished his treatment and is now in remission. This year he has passed his tractor test and his GCSEs and is very much looking towards the future.