Family walk 30 miles to remember adorable Alex for the Sheffield Children's Hospital

Four-year-old Alex, from Sheffield, was the first ever patient on the old Cancer and Leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, then known as Ward M3, when it opened during 1997.

In May 1997, she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that affects around 100 children each year in the UK.

Alex had an operation which removed the tumour, as well as one of her kidneys and her spleen. But just a few days before Christmas, her family were told that her cancer had returned. Alex passed away at home on December 30.

Her mum Gabrielle said: “She is loved, and missed, every day. Alex was funny, bright and very lively with gorgeous red curls. She loved to dance and was our first born, as well as being a great sister to her siblings Sara and James. She would have loved her little brother Jack who came along in 1999.”

Gabrielle, along with her husband Mike and their sons James and Jack, took on a 30-mile walk to raise some money in Alex’s memory for Sheffield Children’s Hospita. The route began at Whitby, finishing at Redcar with a stop at Staithes and they raised more than £1,200.

Gabrielle added: “We enjoyed our walk, and we were very lucky with the weather. We got a little lost on day two, from Staithes to Redcar, which meant we walked an extra 2.5 miles over the 30 we planned.

“We did have sore feet by then, so the last couple of miles were a challenge. I also had a bad back, but it was really important that we completed the walk - by the end of it we were achy pretty much everywhere anyway!”

The findraising follows a challenge Gabrielle set herself last summer, when she walked 60 miles for her 60th birthday, with the fundraising dedicated towards a new Cancer and Leukaemia ward.

The new ward is bigger and brighter, with improved spaces for parents to stay with their children and a dedicated playroom and schoolroom at the heart of the ward. Remarkably, Gabrielle’s challenge raised more than twice her target - a phenomenal £1,444.

Gabrielle said: “I am very grateful to everyone who has donated for Alex’s walk. It is very important for me to keep her memory alive, especially in her 30th year and when I can see all her contemporaries are living good lives, getting married and starting their own families.

“When Alex was dying, I asked if it would be possible for any of her organs to be donated after her death, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible because she had cancer.

“The funds being raised in her memory means that Alex has left a legacy after all.”

Lucy Cain, Community Fundraising Officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity added: “I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Gabrielle and her family for completing this poignant walk in Alex’s memory.

“The fundraising will continue to help our hospital where it is needed most. On behalf of everyone at Sheffield Children’s, thank you.”

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/30milesforalex