Posted on: 12 Jan 2021
A grandfather is walking 100 miles to raise money for the hospital ward where his two-year-old granddaughter is being treated for a rare form of cancer.
Steve Pollard, 68, from Northamptonshire, is aiming to walk 20 miles a day for five days to support the children’s cancer ward at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, where granddaughter Lacie Marshall is being cared for.
Lacie is being treated for Wilm’s Tumour – a rare childhood cancer of the kidney – which was diagnosed in October 2020 after an emergency trip to the GP. She has since undergone a course of chemotherapy and an operation to remove the tumour and one of her kidneys, with another course of chemotherapy due over the next six months.
Grandfather Steve has helped to take Lacie’s parents to and from the hospital to visit their daughter, and witnessed first-hand the compassion and care she received from staff on the children’s cancer ward.
Steve said: “During the first few weeks I was able to stay with Lacie in hospital to give her dad Lee a break every other day. While at the bedside you cannot help to marvel at the staff of this wonderful hospital. You notice that the care for each child is given in a way that mothers give to their own children.
“At the same time parents are looked after with similar consideration. The detail and care to arrive at the diagnosis and treatment plan is remarkable. It was at this point I decided that I must do something as a thank you to Queen’s Medical Centre for the care this little girl is receiving.”
Steve, who is head groundsman at Kibworth Cricket Club in Northamptonshire, will visit cricket grounds across the area as part of his five-day trek to raise money for the hospital, and hopes to raise £10,000 in total. The trek is planned for late March, depending on coronavirus restrictions.