Edie Molyneux receives honorary place in Grand National

Edie Molyneux
Author: Adam PhillipsPublished 12th Apr 2018

Organisers of the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on Saturday have awarded an honorary 41st place to three-year-old Edie Molyneux, who suffers from a rare brain tumour.

Jockey Club Racecourses first created the honorary berth last year for Neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery, who died in July.

JCR has continued to work with closely with the Bradley Lowery Foundation since Bradley's death and became aware of Edie's story through its links with the charity.

Not only has Edie been given her own set of colours but she will also appear in the racecard in an effort to raise awareness of the disease, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, and help her family raise the necessary #700,000 to cover the cost of her treatment.

She is currently in hospital in Mexico at the Instituto de Oncologia Intervencionista, a world leader in intra-arterial treatment for brain tumours and is recognised for treatment of DIPG.

Edie's mother, Ashleigh Molyneux, said: On November 30 of last year, our world was crushed - Edie was diagnosed with DIPG, a rare childhood brain tumour which is currently inoperable, untreatable and fatal in the UK.

"In Mexico, there is pioneering treatment that uses intra-arterial chemotherapy which is having good results and showing good progress."

"The most recent MRI scan from early March shows a small amount of shrinkage which is a massive step because we had been previously told that the tumour was stable and was not growing."