Sophie Phillips, a mental health nurse at The Lakes mental health unit in Colchester, is taking part in Cancer Research UK's 10km Shine Night Walk in Cambridge on October 17, in memory of her father Austen, who died from brain cancer in May 2022.
Father's diagnosis and passing
Austen was rushed to hospital in November 2021 after experiencing seizures, and was diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma tumour in January 2022. Sophie, who works on Ardleigh ward, said: "He deteriorated quickly and was in and out of hospital. On the morning of May 13 he was rushed to hospital and was moved to St Helena Hospice in Colchester that same day."
"He sadly passed away that night. I want to raise money towards finding a cure for those with cancer, specifically brain cancer to give others suffering with brain cancer a chance."
First fundraising event
The charity walk will be Sophie's first fundraising event. Statistics from Cancer Research UK show that more than 12,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with brain cancers or tumours every year.
If you would like to sponsor Sophie, visit her fundraising page at https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/sophies-giving-page-33184109.
