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 "On
the 23rd December 2010 our family’s life changed forever when, our
nephew and cousin, Ethan (picture right) passed away unexpectedly, at
the age of 6 from an undiagnosed heart condition. My auntie Sandra, Nick
and Ethan's sister Hope have had friends run the London Marathon,
complete the Three Peaks Challenge and take part in a classic car race,
all in memory of our lovely Ethan; along the way raising money for CRY,
a charity our family as a whole have adopted.
After seeing so many people doing these amazing things for Ethan, I
decided that I would like to follow in their footsteps and raise some
money in memory of my cousin. I thought long and hard about what I would
want to do so when I came across the London to Brighton cycle ride,
through the Do It for Charity website; I knew that was what I wanted to
do. Once it was confirmed, my dad and I started to train, cycling to
Richmond Park at the weekend to get ready for the big day. We set up a
website where people could donate money, and when people heard why we
were doing the event, they were more than happy to give very generously
for such a good cause. With all the money people had donated, we were
even more determined once the big day came to finish it and do everyone
proud.
My dad, brother and I got up very early on Sunday 11th September and
made our way to the starting point were we meet my Uncle Dave who was
also participating with us. When we got there we were also met by
Sandra, Nick and Hope who had come to see us off. The event as a whole
was very challenging for the four of us and there were many ups and
downs during the event (and I am not just talking about emotions) but it
was the best feeling in the world when we got to the end and we knew
that we had done everyone including Ethan proud.
Losing someone so close to us devastated our family, it was something
that we could have never seen coming in a million years. The fact that
we have been able to do even something small to help contribute to
others who were either in the same positions as us, or could help to
save another persons life meant the world to us. I am so happy that I
took the opportunity to do the London to Brighton, it is a massive
achievement and on top of that we are helping to support a great charity
that helps so many young people in very difficult situations."
Jemma Anthony (Aged 16)
You can still donate to
Jemma and her family's
cycle by visiting
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ethan
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