Family join charity walk to support gran through cancer fight

27th September 2016

A family from Rotherham are joining a charity woodland walk this weekend to say thank you to the hospital that is caring for their beloved mum and gran.

Lindsay Bird, from Thurcroft will be joined by her son, Isaac (8), daughter Liberty (14), brother, Lee Brockley, husband Tim and mum, Cynthia Brockley at Weston Park Cancer Charity's annual Light the Night event on the 1st October after Cynthia was diagnosed with bowel cancer earlier this year. Light the Night, which is now into its fifth year and attracts supporters from far and wide, will once again take place on the 1st October with walkers being encouraged to take a magical walk through the woods and raise vital sponsorship for Weston Park Cancer Charity. Cynthia (71), who also lives in Thurcroft, visited her GP after experiencing immense pain and discomfort before being referred to Rotherham Hospital for further scans. The results of the tests confirmed that Cynthia had bowel cancer and would need to visit Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield to begin 5 weeks of radiotherapy treatment. -It came as a complete shock, said Cynthia. -I was pretty fit and healthy for my age and although I knew something wasn't right, I never expected to be diagnosed with cancer. After being transferred to Weston Park Hospital, Cynthia began her course of radiotherapy treatment as well as taking oral chemotherapy tablets. She continued, -Everyone was just so lovely at Weston Park and made sure I never felt alone or scared from the day I arrived. -The staff do an absolutely brilliant job of looking after all the patients and making sure that we're all treated as individuals- I actually miss seeing them now my treatment is over! Weston Park Hospital is one of only a handful of specialist cancer hospitals in England and treats patients from all over South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire a population of almost 1.8million people. Weston Park Cancer Charity is the only dedicated charity for the hospital and exists to support the world-class cancer research and to improve the treatment and care for people living with cancer. After finishing her radiotherapy sessions, Cynthia now has to wait up to 8 weeks to see if her treatment has been successful. Cynthia's daughter, Lindsay said, -We saw a poster for the charity's Light the Night event when we were waiting for an appointment in the hospital and thought it would be great to do it as a family and support my mum during treatment. -We are so lucky to have this specialised cancer centre right on our doorstep; I honestly don't know what we would have done without the brilliant care and support we've received since my mum was diagnosed. -The kids are already planning their 'Willy Wonka' outfits for the event and we're really excited about supporting the cancer charity as much as we can on the night. Weston Park Hospital is home to the only radiotherapy department in South Yorkshire meaning that patients from across the region are required to attend for radiotherapy treatment on this specialised unit. Over 18,000 patients are currently under the care of Weston Park Hospital, which equates to over 150,000 individual patients visits each year. Following a 4.5k route through the picturesque woodland and with an array of themed surprises along the way, the cancer charity hopes families, friends and colleagues will sign up to Light the Night and help them shine bright on the night. With a brand new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme and a 'golden ticket' fundraising initiative, this year's Light the Night is set to be an exciting family event, bringing together supporters of the cancer charity on one special night. The fundraiser who raises the most sponsorship ahead of the event will win 2 tickets to the sell-out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory show in London. Visit www.lightthenight.org.uk to sign up or find out more information about the event.