Dorchester Cricket Club host fundraiser for teenage girl with rare form of bone cancer
13-year-old Nevah Richards has Ewing Sarcoma
A fundraiser is taking place this afternoon (Friday 4 August) for Dorset teenager Nevah Richards. Nevah (age 13) has a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma.
This is a particularly aggressive cancer that is associated with young people. Currently the only way to diagnose this is when the tumour becomes large enough to be seen on scans. The event at Dorchester Cricket Club will raise funds for the Christie Charity to develop a simple blood test that can be run alongside the other tests to aid diagnosis at an early stage. As with all cancers the earlier they are caught the better.
The fundraiser has been organised by Nevah’s friends and fellow cricketers. 17-year-old Sophie Brown will be braving a head shave and there will be a BBQ, raffle, facepainting and cake stall alongside a variety of cricket games.
Nevah’s mum Heather explains:
“The cricket club has been an anchor for all of us. Every week they are our check-in.”
The family are Dorset-born dad Adam, mum Heather, older sister Marla and Nevah. Heather continues:
“Nevah’s symptoms started in January. Because of the rare nature of the cancer the pains were thought to be growing pains or part of her menstrual cycle. But it was the fatigue that was the most worrying. Sport is very much part of our lives and both girls were very active, very sporty. But Nevah was coming back from school falling asleep for two hours, having dinner and then having a full night’s sleep. And for a girl who never burns out she was saying ‘I don’t want to do this after school club’. It was out of character.”
Nevah had a whole spectrum of blood and urine tests and some invasive biopsies, but it wasn’t until the lump had got big enough to see on a scan that she was diagnosed. The tumour is in her pelvis and is affecting bone and connective tissue.
Heather picks up the story:
“I knew something was very wrong - Nevah just wasn’t getting any better. It all came to a head on the coronation weekend when within five days she went from a normal teenager to not being able to eat, drink or walk and she needed to use a wheelchair. The registrar agreed to two days of intensive chemo and this shrank the tumour so that she could get back to walking and she was able to eat and drink.”
Nevah is now on a Chemotherapy protocol to shrink the tumour and hopefully find herself in remission. But this cancer has a history of reoccurrence so the development of a blood test that could catch the next growth early will help her have choices and options for the future.
The family are awaiting the arrival of a Golden retriever puppy next month, which is something that Nevah has always wanted. The puppy will be a welcome addition to the family and will help them cope with the ups and downs of living with cancer.
The event starts at 4.30pm at Dorchester Cricket Club and all are welcome.
There is also a GoFundMe page for donations
Details of Christie Charity’s work on developing this blood test can be found at www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity/why-we-need-your-help/what-we-are-fundraising-for/help-us-diagnose-ewing-sarcoma-faster-for-young-cancer-patients