Over the next few days Greenock Wanderers members will be helping the friends and family of seven-year-old Rosie Veronica Mitchell raise vital funds to help her continue to fight cancer.
Her dad Ross has organised a 24-hour relay run around the pitch at the club – the #RunForRosie24 starting on Thursday at 5pm and ending on Friday.
It will be followed by a quiz night on Friday which has been organised by some of the Ladies XV.
Ross said: “Rosie is a chatty, cheeky princess – everyone who meets her immediately falls in love with her, and she also takes no nonsense, in the nicest possible way!
“At the age of just 15 months, she was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma when a tumour was discovered below her eye. Tests showed that it had spread and Rosie quickly had surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a stem cell transplant and immunotherapy.
“She fought hard through 18 months of treatment which helped her recover and – despite lasting side effects of hearing loss – for the next two and a half years she was able to enjoy life cancer-free with her friends and family.
“But since then the disease has twice returned in Rosie’s bones, most recently in April 2018. In around 40-50% of children like Rosie the cancer comes back, and of for those children treatment options are limited – especially in the UK and on the NHS. Rosie is going to have to travel abroad for treatment which will cost in excess of £200,000.”
Rosie’s family are now fund raising to give Rosie the best chance.
Her mum Donna-Louise said: “Rosie loves life so much and brings such joy and happiness to all who meet her. She has fought this horrible disease since she was a baby, but now we are running out of options.
“NHS staff are amazing but without more resources and research there is little they can do by way of a cure beyond trying early-stage clinical trials.
“We never wanted to be here, but Rosie deserves the best shot we can give her. We need your support to make sure she has a chance of beating neuroblastoma.”
Rosie’s family are involved with the rugby club in Greenock.
Ross added: “As a family there is myself, my wife Donna-Louise, Rosie and her twin brothers Lucas and Dylan who are eight while she is also very close with her cousin Ethan (13) who has been through this whole journey with her as well.
“Rosie’s brothers both play at Greenock and I am one of the coaching team for the minis P4 team and it has been great for them and myself to have this to help them have some normality through all of the upheaval we have had through this difficult time.
“The P4 team are a great bunch to coach and show a great love for the game and willingness to learn and enjoy themselves. They have been amazing over the last few years and have made it such a great environment for both Lucas and Dylan to enjoy themselves and have fun with their team mates.
“The boys have been with the same group of boys since P1 and have formed a very strong bond with them and all and the kids have been great with the boys and also Rosie who they treat as one of the team
“One of their team mates donates his pocket money to her fund which he gets from his grandfather and one of the girls is being sponsored to have her hair cut. One of the parents of the kids in the team also carried out three challenges in aid of Rosie’s fund.
“The club have been very supportive of us – the kids, coaches, parents and the committee members.
For more information on the Run For Rosie visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runforrosie24 and follow on Twitter @rosieveronica2
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