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[back to news]| Jennie goes the extra mile 14/05/09 Jennie Bradshaw was just 18 months older than her brother Mark when he lost his battle with cancer at age seven. It has now been over 18 years since Mark passed away, but his memory remains strong in the lengths Jennie is going to, to raise vital funds for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent, which is one of the official charities for this year’s Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running.  Mark was just five when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of the disease which only affects children. His mother Mary recalls, “We were living in Beeston at the time and Mark came home one day from school saying he had banged his leg at school. He became tired all the time and wanted to go to sleep, which was unusual behaviour for an active young boy. When he woke up he was squealing with pain so we went straight to the doctors. “He was referred to the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) for an x-ray, which showed that he had broken his femur and that one bone had lodged in to another, which is why he was still able to walk. But more alarmingly, the x-ray also showed the cancer that was in his bone, which is why it was brittle and had broken so easily. We were devastated. “ Further tests showed that the cancer had already spread from his bone marrow to his aorta and to his kidneys. By the time it was discovered the disease had escalated to stage five, which means the patient is only given a 20% chance of survival. Jennie continued, “The doctors tried chemotherapy but it was too late and it wasn’t having any impact. My brother was in and out of hospital for the best part of two years. I missed him so much. Despite being so young I understood what was going on and can still remember how it felt to lose him.” The doctors came to the realisation that there was nothing left they could do for Mark and discharged him from the hospital to go home and be with his family. Jennie continued, “I didn’t know this at the time but they only gave him a week to live. Luckily for all of us he made it through another whole year.” Mark sadly passed away on 3rd January 1991. Mary added, “He was such a happy kid, we were so pleased he made it to Christmas.”  Whilst Mark was in hospital and being nursed at home the Bradshaw’s were offered support from CLIC Sargent. The charity provided the family with social workers to provide emotional support, as well as financial help. Mary said, “I was a lone parent at the time, with Mark, Jennie and Richard, my oldest. The charity stepped in to help me financially, paying for taxis to take Jennie and Richard to school when I was in the hospital with Mark and they had to stay at her grandparent’s house. They also helped with bills and organised trips to take the children to Battersea Park. Their support eased the awful situation we were in and just made life a little more simple in such difficult times. “Mark’s social worker was amazing. He came to see Mark on the ward all the time and even came to our home when he was discharged. The charity even lent us a camcorder so we could tape Mark’s last few months with us. Those videos are now priceless and we have always wanted to give something back.” Jennie had the opportunity to do just this last year when she abseiled down the QMC building, where her brother was treated to raise money for CLIC Sargent. She only found out about it two weeks before but ended up being the highest fundraiser by far with over £700. She said, “I was unsure about it when I first heard about it as am a bit scared of heights. But when I saw which charity it was for I decided to just go for it! In actual fact it wasn’t as scary as I initially thought – I just tried not to look down! I kept reminding myself that there are far more important things in life to worry about, such as what my brother and family went through, and that helped me through it.” The 2009 CLIC Sargent QMC abseil is happening on Sunday the 12th July, for more information or to register contact Dee Richardson on 0113 2307902. Instead of scaling the heights of this hospital this year, Jennie is planning to marshal for CLIC Sargent at the Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running on 13th September.  |
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