An eight-year-old from Moreton is to climb a mountain in memory of her cancer-stricken great-grandmother.
Aubree Tallon will set out to climb Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales, later this month in a bid to raise funds for Myeloma UK, a charity close to her heart.
Aubree’s great-grandmother Kathryn Clark died from blood cancer in April of this year, aged 72.
Kathryn was a mother-of-five and a stalwart of the community climbed Kilimanjaro, skydived, and bungee-jumped all in the name of charity.
In honour of this adventurous spirit, Aubree will tackle the 1109m ascent to the top of Snowdon on Saturday, September 24.
“My grandma is an inspiration and has done so much good in her life and a lot for my mummy and us,” said Aubree, who attends St David’s Church of England Primary School.
“I’m looking forward to spending time alone with my mum. Hopefully I will spot a mountain goat or a yeti. There is nothing I’m not looking forward to. I love doing things and being outside. I hope I’m home for bed!”
Joining Aubree for the climb will be her mum, Sophie Minchin.
The 29-year-old said: “What’s important to Aubree is for people to know how special her grandma was and how much her grandma did in her life.
“We didn’t see her lots and lots because she lived in Scotland, but she had a bond with Aubree and she would message her on my phone. Aubree really clung to that relationship.”
She added: “I had never heard of myeloma and we didn’t really know what it was until she got very ill.
“She was a really important part of the community.
“She was always the first one to volunteer for anything. My auntie was due to get married and my grandma was on her deathbed still decorating the cake. She never got to finish it. The wedding was four days after the funeral, so we didn’t have a cake.
“She deserves never to be forgotten.”
Sophie hopes that Aubree’s challenge will raise funds towards a cure and awareness of the symptoms of myeloma, which occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects over 24,000 people in the UK.
Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is difficult to detect as symptoms are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions meaning that more than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis.
For more information or to donate, visit Aubree's JustGiving page here.
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