Momentum supported Mia’s family when one of her younger sisters, Ximena, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.

Mia is reaching the final stages of her training which has seen her take on lengthy runs in Richmond Park and along the towpath of the River Thames. On top of this, she has kept her fitness levels up through her sports clubs at Latymer School in Chiswick.

Setting out with a £300 fundraising target, Mia soon surpassed this, and her sponsorship page currently stands at over £3100. Every penny raised will support Momentum’s work in helping families in London, Surrey, and Sussex who have seriously ill children.

Talking about her sister’s cancer diagnosis, Mia said: “When Ximena was diagnosed with cancer, it was a scary time for the whole family. It was a lot for both Antonia (Ximena’s twin) and I to take on board as our mum and dad became even busier than usual, and naturally Ximena’s health had to take priority. We all spent a lot of time in hospital and no family plans were ever guaranteed.”

Talking about the support Momentum gave her family, Mia said: “Straight after Ximena’s diagnosis, we were referred to Momentum for support – they became a sort of glue and source of positivity in our family. Momentum ensured that we still had stress-free time to simply have fun together. They organised for Santa to visit us when Ximena was too sick to go out, there were treats and games for the long days spent in hospital, and respite time out on their riverboat and at Momentum’s beach cabins during the 12 months that Ximena was unable to travel. Having special family time together meant the world to us.”

Mia continued: “I wanted to do something to say thank you to Momentum and to mark Ximena completing her treatment and that is why I decided to take on the London 10k. I hope that by showing my support and raising valuable funds, the charity will be able to reach out to even more families like ours.”

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey, and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. The charity partners with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home.

You can sponsor Mia here: Mia Turrent is fundraising for Momentum Children’s Charity (justgiving.com)

To find out more about the work of Momentum Children’s Charity, please visit www.momentumcharity.org

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Notes to Editors:

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home. Our services include counselling, creative therapies, special experiences, and respite breaks. If the unthinkable happens, and a child dies, we offer specialist bereavement support. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant entirely on voluntary support. 

Founded in 2004, Momentum Children’s Charity started when Bianca Effemey OBE was working as a Receptionist on the Paediatrics Ward at Kingston Hospital. Side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be very painful and Bianca quickly became aware of the impact they were having on young cancer patients. It became Bianca’s mission to get white goods donated to the hospital which could be kept full of refreshments, providing some relief to children suffering with mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy. John Lewis agreed to donate the freezer if Bianca set up a charity, so she did this.  Momentum has grown from a relatively small charity to now supporting around 300 children undergoing treatment and 140 bereaved families every year.

For more information about Momentum and future press opportunities, please contact:  Claire Smith, PR and Communications Officer: clairesmith@momentumcharity.org  /  0208 974 5931