Claire's Army - Fundraising for cancer charities
Donation protected
At the end of 2020, my wonderful friend and powerhouse Claire was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. She’s 30 years old and 32 weeks pregnant with a baby boy. The news hit us all like a tonne of bricks.
Right now, she should be preparing to enjoy her long-awaited maternity leave. Instead, she’s planning a premature birth alongside fifteen brutal rounds of chemotherapy. Can you imagine that? No, me neither.
However, despite the truly shit cards she has been dealt, Claire has shown an unwavering strength that has blown us all away. In just ten days, she’s already set up @grablifebytheboobz to raise awareness amongst young women and cancer in pregnancy. Not only is she documenting her fight, but she’s bringing breast cancer warriors together and giving many others hope and determination. I have no idea how she does it... but let me tell you, I could burst with pride.
So it turns out ‘in sickness and in health’ isn't just a vow in marriage, but friendship too - I’ve made a promise to Claire and it’s one that I intend to keep. I’ll be running for the duration of every chemotherapy treatment she goes through. And together with an army of her friends and family, we will support her mission to get as many people as possible checking their breasts more regularly. Given that routine mammograms are currently only offered to women over 50 in the UK, self-examination is the first step to diagnosis.
#ClairesArmy has been set up to raise some much needed funds to support the fight against cancer. Classically, Claire doesn’t want anything for herself so the donations will be going to breast cancer charities of her choosing throughout the year. There are already some exciting (lockdown friendly) plans in the making to kick-start our fundraising - so watch this space for plenty of fun events and boob puns.
Here’s to raising money, awareness and spirits during 2021.
https://vimeo.com/496224512
Right now, she should be preparing to enjoy her long-awaited maternity leave. Instead, she’s planning a premature birth alongside fifteen brutal rounds of chemotherapy. Can you imagine that? No, me neither.
However, despite the truly shit cards she has been dealt, Claire has shown an unwavering strength that has blown us all away. In just ten days, she’s already set up @grablifebytheboobz to raise awareness amongst young women and cancer in pregnancy. Not only is she documenting her fight, but she’s bringing breast cancer warriors together and giving many others hope and determination. I have no idea how she does it... but let me tell you, I could burst with pride.
So it turns out ‘in sickness and in health’ isn't just a vow in marriage, but friendship too - I’ve made a promise to Claire and it’s one that I intend to keep. I’ll be running for the duration of every chemotherapy treatment she goes through. And together with an army of her friends and family, we will support her mission to get as many people as possible checking their breasts more regularly. Given that routine mammograms are currently only offered to women over 50 in the UK, self-examination is the first step to diagnosis.
#ClairesArmy has been set up to raise some much needed funds to support the fight against cancer. Classically, Claire doesn’t want anything for herself so the donations will be going to breast cancer charities of her choosing throughout the year. There are already some exciting (lockdown friendly) plans in the making to kick-start our fundraising - so watch this space for plenty of fun events and boob puns.
Here’s to raising money, awareness and spirits during 2021.
https://vimeo.com/496224512
Organizer and beneficiary
Claire’s Army Grablifebytheboobz
Organizer
Claire Hilton-Ellison
Beneficiary
