A friend of Ria Melvin, the inspiration for our Fundraising Group, Raising4Ria, has raised more than £10,000 through taking on a punishing trek to Everest Base Camp.
She said: “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Georgie suffered so badly with altitude sickness that he was hallucinating. We would have given up but for Ria. She was always so positive and never complained about her gruelling treatment. I remember her laughing and making jokes just two weeks before she passed.”
Ria, who was at Loughborough University with Lily-Anna and played football on the same team, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) at the age of 23. She underwent brain surgery twice, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment in Germany, but nothing could save her and she passed away, aged 25, two years and seven months later.
Having been a dedicated campaigner and fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research while undergoing treatment led her family to set up Raising4Ria to continue Ria’s legacy.
Ria’s university friends, including Lily-Anna, along with Ria’s mum Carol and sister Kaz take part in an annual cycle ride from Loughborough to Ria’s resting place in Brentwood, Essex. To date the Fundraising Group has raised almost £109,500 – enough to sponsor the equivalent of almost 40 days of research.