{"id":4947,"date":"2019-07-19T10:44:46","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T10:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/?p=4947"},"modified":"2019-07-19T10:50:46","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T10:50:46","slug":"runner-feature-chect-runners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/club.runthrough.co.uk\/runner-feature-chect-runners\/","title":{"rendered":"Runner Feature – CHECT Runners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Childhood Eye Cancer Trust Take on Run Through Regent’s Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

In what is becoming a popular tradition, every year Team Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT)<\/strong><\/a> descends upon Run Through Regent’s Park to raise money for those affected by retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer which affects babies and very young children.<\/p>\n

The day itself is always brilliant – the event is well-organised, the route through Regent’s Park<\/strong> is gorgeous and the atmosphere is welcoming to runners of all abilities. Everywhere you look there is someone in our white and blue CHECT running vest – a fuzzy feeling<\/em> and reminder that we truly are a team and working together to raise money for a worthy cause.<\/p>\n

Members of all ages and abilities turn out to take part and support our runners, including the little ones cheering their parents on at the finish line – a lot of whom were diagnosed with retinoblastoma<\/strong>. For some supporters, the charity is very close to their heart, with a loved one having been diagnosed with retinoblastoma or maybe they themselves had once battled the aggressive eye cancer as a child.<\/p>\n

For others, the link to CHECT<\/a> is through their place of work, stepping up to face a personal challenge whilst raising money for a great cause. As a very small charity, we’re lucky to have such dedicated supporters as we rely on public donations and don’t receive any government funding to help with our work.<\/p>\n

Events like Run Through mean a lot to us, not only did our runners raise over an incredible £9000<\/span>,<\/strong> it’s also a great time for our families to catch up and meet CHECT<\/a> staff and other supporters.<\/p>\n

\"Runner<\/p>\n

A bit about retinoblastoma and CHECT…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Retinoblastoma<\/strong> mainly affects children under the age of six and, on average, around one child is diagnosed each week in the UK.<\/p>\n

Devastatingly, around half of children lose an eye<\/strong> and some children can be left with a visual impairment as a result of the cancer and treatment. For this reason, we do a lot of work around raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma with the general public and medical professionals – the most common being a ‘white glow’ in the eye, sometimes present in flash photos or in certain lighting, and a squint (lazy eye). Around 98%<\/strong> of children survive, but early diagnosis is crucial in order to save a child’s eyes, sight and life.<\/p>\n

CHECT play a big role in the lives of those affected by retinoblastoma. We offer ongoing support to families and individuals including: someone to talk to during a child’s ongoing treatment, financial support, support for teenagers and adults living with the effects of the cancer, meet-ups for families and a contact service for those who are concerned that their child could have retinoblastoma. We reach out and offer our support to 100% of the families that face this distressing diagnosis on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

We also fund world class research into the prevention and treatment of retinoblastoma and influence policy to improve services for patients.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust, please visit chect.org.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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