'˜Amazing' charity event held by Southwick woman with rare cancer
Holly Edwards, who was diagnosed with sarcoma two years ago, said the family-friendly event at Southwick Football Club in aid of Sarcoma UK went ‘really well’.
“It was amazing,” she said. “The room was packed.”
A team from Southwick won a friendly football match between Southwick and Worthing, while visitors also enjoyed a bouncy castle, a raffle, a karaoke and a disco.
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Hide AdHolly, a former Steyning Grammar student, was just 19 and working at Tesco when she started getting headaches and discovered she had a lump on her leg.
She was told it was an ingrowing hair but eventually, after some X-rays were taken, doctors confirmed it was sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects the bone and soft tissue.
Sadly, Holly was told the disease was terminal.
The cancer spread to her spine and Holly now has tumour in every bone in her body.
She said: “I don’t think I’ve ever really come to terms with the fact that it’s terminal.”
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Hide AdAfter her first round of chemotherapy, Holly – who lost her mother to cancer when she was just ten years old – had an operation to replace the tibia bone in her left leg with a metal rod.
In the two years since her diagnosis, Holly has had repeated trips up to London for rounds of hospital treatment, including having radiotherapy on her skull.
She said: “My family has been great and so supportive. My cousins have given up their lives to look after me, they are really inspirational.”
Holly is still counting the money raised for the charity, which will go towards funding vital research to help fight Sarcoma.
Holly said: “As long as I can help even one other family going through what mine is.”