Battersea Half Marathon in Support of Maya's Cancer Journey

Hi All

My name is Jo and I'm a personal friend of Dellanie Nash, the mum of 11-year old Maya Nash. The Nash family are local to the Folkestone area.

Maya Nash was originally diagnosed with stage IV metastatic high-risk Neuroblastoma (left adrenal gland) in April 2017 when she was merely 3 years/9 months old. She achieved full remission in September 2019 after completing the NHS frontline treatment (SIOPEN trial) at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. She also completed the MSKCC bivalent vaccine clinical trial in New York in March 2020 which helped her stay in remission.

Unfortunately, Maya sadly relapsed in the summer of 2023. So she began intensive treatment once again at The Royal Marsden Hospital Sutton which helped her achieved second remission in April 2024. It was short-lived celebrations for Maya and her family because Maya's THIRD battle (2nd relapse) against Neuroblastoma started again in August 2024. In the words of Maya’s paediatric oncology, "once Neuroblastoma relapses, it is more challenging to control the disease. Either we will try to get rid of it (again) or it will buy you time."

So Maya’s family are on a high-speed rollercoaster ride with harsh gruelling treatments for 18 months now! The heartbreak that her family goes through is beyond words and financial struggles real. No parent should ever have to experience being sick with worry about finances, with potentially losing their house and the bailiff turning up their doorstep, just when their child is facing life-threatening illness whilst going to-and-from the hospitals.

Cancer robs children of the carefree joys of childhood, replacing their days with hospital visits, painful treatments and unimaginable struggles. Instead of their playground and school classrooms, their world revolve around medical appointments and recovery rooms. Childhood cancer not only steals children’s energy, but also places a heavy emotional and financial burden on their families.

With your support, we can perhaps restore some hope, provide essential care, and give Maya the change to fight for a brighter tomorrow. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference.

Maya’s cancer journey has been riddled with precious highs, and painful lows – and all the moments in between that become so meaningful. The survival rate for relapsed neuroblastoma is about 10%.

We can only imagine the fear, anxiety and overwhelming financial worries that the Nash family is going through. Hence we have decided to support Maya and her family by running the Battersea Park Half Marathon on 8th March 2025 and at the same time, raising funds to help ease the financial burdens attached with Maya's cancer diagnosis. I’ve not run very much recently due to a shoulder injury and now have just 7 weeks to prepare for this 13-mile run. Although this may be a challenge for me it’s insignificant compared to brave Maya’s Cancer Journey. No child should have to endure such pain.

Please dig deep and lend us your helping hand to go towards food, utility bills, hospital travel, parking costs, debts and loss of income due to cancer. Let's step up and help Maya and her family make as many happy memories with Maya as possible.