Eight charities unite for 19.3-mile cot push to raise awareness of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Eight charities have marked Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with an emotional 19.3-mile cot push between two major Hampshire hospitals.

On Sunday, September 6, eight local charities walked from Queen Alexandra Hospital to Southampton General Hospital to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

Participating charities included George’s Rockstars, Sophie’s Legacy, Abby’s Heroes, Meredith’s Mission, Alfie’s Wish, The Sophie Barringer Trust, The Isabel Baker Foundation and Hannah’s Holiday Home Appeal.

Together the teams pushed a cot throughout the entire journey to symbolise the hospital journeys experienced by children with cancer and their families, countless hours spent in hospital, and the challenges that come with a childhood cancer diagnosis.

A gold ribbon, the international symbol of childhood cancer awareness, adorned the cot alongside the names of children who have been affected by childhood cancer, including those who have sadly lost their lives to the disease.

Charlotte Fairall, founder of Sophie’s Legacy, said: “Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is an important opportunity to make sure childhood cancer is not overlooked. Children deserve better, better research, earlier diagnosis, better treatments and, ultimately, the chance to be cured without a lifetime of devastating side effects. Yet childhood cancer continues to receive a disproportionately small amount of funding and research attention, with just 3% of public cancer funding directed towards child-specific cancers.

“Bringing eight charities together for the Charities Unite cot push was a powerful way to raise our collective voice and remind people that behind every statistic is a real child and a family whose lives have been changed forever. We need to keep talking, keep campaigning and keep pushing for better outcomes for every child affected by cancer.”

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of childhood cancer and the urgent need for continued support, research and better outcomes for children and young people.

Amy O’Shaughnessy, founder of George’s Rockstars, added: “Childhood cancer can be an incredibly isolating journey for children and their families. Bringing eight charities together for this challenge showed what can happen when we put our individual missions alongside one another and work towards something bigger.

“The cot represented the hospital journey that so many families know only too well. Pushing it 19.3 miles was physically challenging, but it was a small representation of the incredibly difficult journeys children and families facing cancer have to navigate.

“We may all support families in different ways, but ultimately we are here for the same reason to give children and families hope, support and brighter moments during incredibly difficult times.”