Charity ball raises £9,900 for Derriford Hospital cancer treatment wards
Lucy Byrne has raised nearly £10,000 for Plymouth Hospitals Charity. Lucy held charity a ball in February on behalf of her friend, Freya King, to raise money for Birch, Bracken and Lynher wards.
In December 2017, at just 19 years old, Freya was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. This news came only three months after giving birth to her little boy, Archie. After further testing it was discovered Freya’s cancer had spread behind her breast bone and immediate surgery was required to remove her lymphoid and thyroid glands.
Six weeks later, she underwent a gruelling radio iodine treatment. The treatment isolated her for four days with no contact from friends and family. Freya was unable to have any physical contact with Archie for four weeks.
“Hearing the words, ‘you have cancer’ petrified me,” said Freya. “I never thought my baby boy may have to grow up without his mummy.
“I was provided with first class treatment, but also the emotional support I needed throughout my journey.
“Quite simply I owe my life to these wards at Derriford Hospital. They enabled me to fight and survive cancer. They enabled me to go on and live a happy, healthy life. They are the people who make a huge difference to those suffering and recovering from cancer.
“They’ve given me the ability to remain a mother to my beautiful baby boy. Thank you to all of you that supported me on my journey. What you do every day is truly amazing and inspiring. You’ll never know how grateful I am.”
The night was made even more special for Freya as her partner, Jack, chose the night of the ball to propose.
Lucy shared Freya’s story to raise money which will be split between the three wards. “I am absolutely over the moon to say we raised an amazing £9,900,” said Lucy.
“Watching Freya’s bravery and triumph against cancer inspired me to hold a charity ball to raise awareness and money for the cancer wards in Plymouth.
This wouldn’t have been possible without everyone who was a part of the evening and Freya for allowing me to share her journey.”
You can learn more about Freya's journey and the wards that cared for her in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQgcU8yXEDc