Elmer woman abseiling 320ft to raise charity funds

Sarah Seal will be taking part in the event in memory of her nephew Fletcher.

When Fletcher was six years old he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a life-shortening condition where cancer develops in immature nerve cells.

Sarah said: “He had extreme chemotherapy, radiotherapy, everything. But he didn’t react to it very well and it made him very poorly, he then had an 11-hour operation to try and remove some of the tumour on his spine. And the amazing thing? He never moaned. Not once.

“He took everything in his stride. He was a tough little cookie, so robust. At that age, you need to think, ‘does he know what his condition means?’, but that made us just carry life on as normal and try to make light of the situation.”

On June 13 2017, at just nine years old, Fletcher sadly passed away.

During this difficult time, the family was supported by their local children’s hospice, Chestnut Tree House. They were able to use the bereavement facilities at the hospice building to spend some special time with Fletcher and say goodbye in their own way.

Sarah said: “Fletcher has taught me to grab life and be kind always. Life is for living. So, that’s why I am facing my fear of heights and will be abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower in a few weeks.”

With Sarah’s abseil on Saturday, March 28, her fundraising is well underway. “So many families are up against it every single day, so even doing something little makes a big difference. I’m so grateful for the support of the local community, I have already raised an incredible £500 for Chestnut Tree House.”

Due to the popular demand of Chestnut Tree House abseils, a new Spinnaker Tower abseil date has been added – Saturday, June 20. To register your interest visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/spinnakerabseil