Fight Club: Aasiyah’s story. “You’ve been the biggest support.”

“We’d just spent the night in hospital after a scan when they told me Aasiyah’s diagnosis. She was two years old and having her afternoon nap. As soon as they said cancer, I panicked. She had Wilm’s tumour, a type of kidney cancer. It felt like my world was falling apart.

“The next four months were constant hospital trips and it became hard to cope with all the costs that came with it. It was a freezing winter and, with inflation on top, our bills, food and petrol were just going up. We had so many sleepless nights.

“The financial support meant I didn’t go hungry.”

“But Young Lives vs Cancer supporters like you have been the biggest help we’ve had in every way. Thanks to you and the support you make possible from the charity, my Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker, Becca, sorted us financial grants and helped us apply for the benefits we were eligible for, so we could sleep just a little easier.

“And when I had to stop working to be by Aasiyah’s side in hospital, the financial support meant I didn’t go hungry. I could eat a warm meal at the canteen each day without stressing about how to afford it. I could just focus on looking after Aasiyah.

“Without your help, things would have been so much harder.”

“When Becca calls me to check in, it’s so nice to talk to someone who understands what you’re going through. Things just seem a little less overwhelming when you have that person in your corner.

“And you helped my teenage daughter, Aisha, too when she was really struggling. Becca reached out to her school and they arranged sessions with a mental-health and well-being teacher. It was just a phone call but it meant Aisha suddenly had a space where she felt safe to share her worries too.

“That’s all thanks to you. Without your help, things would have been so much harder.”

Rizwana