A GRUELLING fundraising run inspired by a Chipping Sodbury girl battling leukaemia has raised around £2,300 for a cancer charity.
About 50 people took part in Sienna’s Vile Mile at Chipping Sodbury Football club in September to support Young Lives vs Cancer.
It came as the family of Sienna Mullins, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of two in April, said she was responding well to her intensive treatment.
Sienna spent two weeks in hospital immediately after her diagnosis, had invasive treatment and intensive chemotherapy.
Parents Jo and Joe said that to their “huge relief”, Sienna’s latest bone marrow test came back clear at the end of August, following a high dose chemotherapy.
Jo (pictured above with Sienna at the run) said: “It was surreal, my husband burst into tears!”
However, despite the “brilliant” result, Sienna still has to continue gruelling treatment until June 2026 to keep the cancer cells from returning.
She is currently enduring an injection every other day in hospital, is on steroids and has two more hospital stays scheduled before Christmas, when the intensive treatment is expected to ends and they can move to a “maintenance” phase.
Jo hopes that afterwards Sienna will be able to return to nursery, and she can go back to work.
She said: “Christmas should be a relief, and we can start the New Year living life normally again.”
‘She bounces back and keeps smiling’
It will still be a challenging time for Sienna, who will have no immunity against illnesses such as chicken pox.
Jo said she and her husband are proud of their daughter’s “resilience” during the toxic treatment, which has made her feel very poorly.
She said: “She bounces back and keeps smiling, and she’s still playing in the park.”
The family are spreading awareness and helping others in the same position, and are continuing to raise funds for The Grand Appeal charity, which has been a lifeline for them during Sienna’s stays at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Hollie Dennis, the co-owner of Sienna’s nursery First Steps in Chipping Sodbury, is running an appeal that had raised more than £7,700 as the Voice went to print for the Grand Appeal.
Its donation page is here.
The Vile Mile run was set up by Alex Fox, PT instructor at Now or Never Fitness.
Jo said: “About 50 people showed up – parents, family, friends, and people we didn’t know – I can’t believe the generosity.”
Upcoming events include a sponsored bike ride from Yate to the children’s hospital and a silent auction in November. Offers of prizes can be made to First Steps nursery.