A TEAM of runners are taking part in a half-marathon to raise money for charity in honour of young girl who has almost finished two years of cancer treatment.
Skye Harris, 12, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December 2021 but vowed to “find the positives every day” with the support of family and friends.
Now the youngster, from Rayleigh, has almost completed her treatment and will join 17 of her friends from family to take part in events at the Chelmsford Half Marathon to raise vital funds for charity Gold Geese.
Gold Geese is a Leigh-based charity supporting children and young people fighting cancer.
Skye will take part in the 5k race which is taking place alongside the half marathon.
Christina Harris, Skye’s mum, said: “This is going to be a real challenge for Skye as she is still having daily chemo and her immune system is extremely low at the moment, but she is determined to complete the race to raise money for other children fighting cancer like herself.
“I am beyond grateful for all those taking the time out of their family lives to train and help us raise as much as possible. The whole team is very dedicated and excited to run and together we hope to make a difference for all these children fighting every single day.
“Gold Geese have been invaluable to us as a family and have been a constant support from day one on this heartbreaking journey. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to get this far without them.”
Team Skye includes six children who will run the 5k, including Skye herself, her brother Marley and four of her friends.
Twelve adults will be running either the 10k or the half marathon distance this weekend.
Katie Southgate, founder of Gold Geese, added: “We are hugely grateful Skye, Christina and their friends are taking on the Chelmsford Half Marathon to raise funds for Gold Geese and raise awareness of childhood cancer.
“Our slogan is ‘We Fly Together’, because geese are a team, and no one is left behind. As we receive no government funding, we rely on community donations to fund our vital work, so a big thank you to Team Skye for helping us.”
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