It’s been a very long nine months without our gorgeous boy Albie. He was a whirlwind of a toddler who kept us on our toes all day, every day.
Albie was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour when he was just 18 months old after having a seizure out of the blue. Up until then, he’d been a happy healthy boy who gave us no cause for concern. Even after the seizure they didn’t give Albie a scan as they thought he may have been suffering from tonsillitis, but then decided to refer him to neurology. It wasn’t until six weeks later, just before Albie was due to see the consultant, that he started being sick. However, when he began vomiting blood, we became really worried.
Despite 24 hours on fluids in hospital, Albie continued to deteriorate so he was given a CT scan and later an MRI which revealed a mass the size of a tennis ball on Albie’s brain.
He made his treatment for the brain tumour look so easy, neither his surgery or chemotherapy slowed him down.
Albie made friend after friend on his trips to the ward. He made everyone laugh and kept us all going through the toughest of times. Tragically, his non-classifiable brain cancer took over and Albie passed away in November 2021.
Even though we miss Albie so dearly and so painfully, we still try and adopt Albie’s spirit and his ‘can do’ nature, his zest for life and his complete determination. We have turned to fundraising as part of our way of coping and have set up a Fundraising Group called Albie and Beyond. We wish Albie could join us in our fundraising adventures, but instead we have to settle for keeping him in our thoughts every minute of every day.
We are joining in the Walk of Hope campaign with our very own Walk of Hope dedicated to all those affected by this cruel disease. We will be walking from the Royal Oak pub in Didcot, Oxfordshire, to the George and Dragon in Upton and back again, following a resurfaced former railway line. Walkers are encouraged to wear fancy dress if they would like to and there will be a DJ at the Royal Oak in the evening.
The five-and-a-half-mile route is mainly flat and follows pathway, so suitable for all ages and abilities, although rain can make the track wet and boggy. We are also welcoming dogs.
Parking and toilets are available at both pubs and refreshments will be provided.
You can find more information about our Oxfordshire Walk of Hope and register here.
We are really excited about the Walk and are expecting the day to be full of happy faces and laughter. And who wouldn’t enjoy a walk with pubs along the way?
Creating Albie and Beyond in our little boy’s memory has been its own whirlwind. It keeps us going and gives us something to focus on. We love being a Fundraising Group and we are excited that along with our own events, we are leading a Walk of Hope on the same day as many others across the UK. We hope it’s a great opportunity to bring more people on board in the fight to find a cure and raise lots of awareness, while creating lovely memories.
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