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Teenager running London 10k in memory of dad lost through cancer




Sarah Rose with daughter Eve and family friend Vince Garner looking forward to the Cancer Research UK Winter 10k charity run in London for Arthur Rank hospice in memory of dad Chris. Picture: Keith Heppell
Sarah Rose with daughter Eve and family friend Vince Garner looking forward to the Cancer Research UK Winter 10k charity run in London for Arthur Rank hospice in memory of dad Chris. Picture: Keith Heppell

Eve Rose has already raised more than £5,100 for Arthur Rank Hospice charity

The late Chris Rose and daughter Eve.
The late Chris Rose and daughter Eve.

The teenage daughter of a Cambridge man who lost his courageous battle with cancer will raise more than £5,000 for the Arthur Rank Hospice when she competes in a 10k charity run in London.

Eve Rose will take part in the Cancer Research UK Winter 10k charity run on February 4 in memory of her dad Chris, 53, who lost his fight against cancer in December.

The 15-year-old, who plays football for Cambridge City Ladies and Girls under-17s, was inspired to take part in the run by her father’s school pal and close friend Vince Garner.

The family has been left overwhelmed by the heartfelt response to her Just Giving page, which has raised more than £5,000 since its launch.

Chris, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in January 2016, was assistant coach of the under-17s team. But after being referred to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, the family were told last November that the cancer had continued to spread and he died the following month at the hospice.

But Eve’s decision to run the 10k event in her father’s memory has helped the family cope a little easier with their loss.

Mum Sarah said: “Vince was one of Chris’s old school friends and he is into running and does a lot of things for the Arthur Rank.

“He asked Eve if she would like to take part in the 10k Winter Run in London but I think Eve felt a bit unsure to begin with.

“But she agreed to do it and Vince set up a Just Giving page. Since then we have been overwhelmed by the support Eve has received.

“We keep looking at the page most days and it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger, it is just unbelievable. Our original target was only a £1,000 and, to be honest, I think we thought we might have trouble raising that. Vince convinced us that a £1,000 target would be a good one to go for but I think he secretly knew it would exceed that.

“We have been overwhelmed by everybody’s support. It’s been wonderful. It has been two very long years of always hoping that there would be something there to make Chris better but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. But Eve has been wonderful. She has carried on with her football and gone back to school very quickly.

“We still have got a long road ahead of us but I think this run has helped to boost her self-esteem after going through what she did with Chris.

“My elder daughter, Sian, is away at university so she didn’t see everything her dad went through but Eve obviously did.

“Eve was very strong throughout her dad’s illness. She has always been very caring and strong, but she has dealt with it in a very adult way.

“I can’t say if there will be any repercussions in the future because it is still very early days, but she has really picked herself up and continued in a way her dad would have wanted her to.

“Chris did discuss with Eve what he was going through and how he wanted her life to continue when he wasn’t here. The run has really helped us as a family and helped her to focus on doing something in her dad’s memory.

“Chris was a very strong person and she could see what a good place the Arthur Rank Hospice is when people are in the final days of their life.

“Through the last few weeks of his life, they gave us a lot support. They were marvellous in every way, as was Addenbrooke’s where I work. My management team have been really supportive, not just now but all the way through. They have been fantastic.”

Eve has never tackled a 10k event before but has already managed 5k in training and the teenager wants to give something back to the hospice which made her dad’s final days so comfortable.

Eve said: “I am running the 10k Winter Run with Vince and Rose Garner in memory of my dad Chris, who sadly lost his battle with cancer on December 13. The Arthur Rank Hospice helped my dad and gave him lots of love and support, which is why I would like to give something back.”

You can contribute to Eve’s fundraising for the hospice by donating at justgiving.com/fundraising/eve-rose1.



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