Coventry Rugby raise money for #RallyForHallie
They're cycling, rowing and running 350,000 metres in the city centre!
Players and staff at Coventry Rugby are running, cycling and rowing in the city centre today to raise money for a 20-month-old girl in need of cancer treatment abroad.
20-month-old Hallie Reeve has a rare type of cancer, called Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia, and needs potentially life-saving treatment in America.
A fundraising page has been set up to raise £1 million so Hallie can receive CAR-T therapy, which isn't available here in the UK.
CAR-T Cell therapy involves the extraction and manipulation of cancerous cells in a laboratory and is said to be 92% successful.
Coventry head coach Alex Rae knows Hallie’s uncle, Adam - and once his players were made aware of Hallie’s plight they quickly volunteered to assist the fund-raising campaign.
“At the point that I spoke to the squad around £350,000 was still required,” he said, “so we thought a good way of raising awareness and hopefully also some cash is to match this in metres.
“We really hope that plenty of people will come along during the day and support the lads who will be rowing and cycling in shifts and running around the city centre in small groups.
“We will have a bucket collection going on and also be doing everything we can to make people aware of Hallie’s Helping Hands and the Go Fund Me page where they can donate.”
Rae said the family’s stoicism has also provided inspiration for Coventry’s squad as they work through pre-season training ahead of their opening day cup clash with Premiership champions Saracens at the Butts Park Arena on September 9th.
“It’s too easy for us all to go about our day-to-day lives and be oblivious to everything else,” he said.
“The family’s positivity at this incredibly tough time has really struck a chord with me as has the togetherness which has come from everyone in support of Hallie. We see ourselves as part of this Coventry community and are keen to get involved and help."