27-year-old Beth Harrison raced to the finish line in the Hackney Half Marathon on Sunday, 19 May to raise money for Lancashire children’s hospice, Derian House.
Beth, of Bolton, was just eight-years-old when her older sister, Emma, 12, was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Emma passed away just three months after her diagnosis, on New Year’s Eve 2004, and laid at rest in a cold room, known as a Sunflower Room, at Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley.
Beth, now 27 and living in London, wanted to commemorate her sister’s life by raising money for the charity that helped their family during that time.
Beth, who works as a designer at branding and packaging agency, B&B, said: “I wanted to do something for Derian House because the hospice has been such a big part of my childhood. I even met my best friend at Derian in the siblings support group.
“I remember, me and Emma were playing one day, she was 12 and I was eight, and I noticed that her eyes started going in a different direction. She had also become clumsier recently. I told mum, and then everything happened quite quickly.
“We were told that Emma had a brain tumour. At first, it seemed like she was going to get through it. But things changed and Emma deteriorated in her last few weeks.
“It was New Year’s Eve when Emma passed away and my parents chose for her to stay in one of Derian House’s Sunflower Rooms. It meant we could all have a bit more time with her. We were able to take a few of her things, including her Winnie the Pooh blanket. I took my Groovy Chick blanket.
“We were lucky to be one of the first families to take part in the Keepsake Circle project, which enables families to create songs in memory of their child. We worked with Derian’s Patron, Kiki Deville to write the song. We were on our way down to Bristol for a family holiday when we first got the song sent to us. We all sat and listened together – we must have listened to it about 10 times in a row – and we talked and cried.”
Beth finished the Hackney Half marathon in one hour and 53 minutes.
“The run went really well,” she said. “It was a lot hotter than expected and I really struggled towards the end, but seeing my friends and family really kept me going. The run was difficult, but it was worth it to raise awareness for Derian. The hospice played a big part in our lives and I know that it will be there for families like ours in years to come.”
Kerry Salmon, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “What an amazing way for Beth to celebrate Emma’s life, as well as raising vital funds for families just like hers. We are so proud of what she has achieved – we were cheering her on all the way.
“Care is free to families at Derian House, but it will cost £6million to run the hospice this year. We rely on our kind-hearted supporters – just like Beth – to raise 70p in every £1 as we only receive a small amount of funding from the government.”
Derian House Children’s Hospice, based in Chorley, Lancashire, cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West, helping them to make the most of every moment.
