Team From Irwin Mitchell Raising Money For Leading Cancer Hospital The Christie

A group of runners from Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield are raising money for The Christie, which supported and cared for their late colleague and friend Chelsea Leonard when she was diagnosed with cancer.

Employees at the law firm, along with Chelsea’s family and friends, are tackling the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run in Sheffield on Sunday 28 September in her memory and hope to raise £5,000 for the hospital charity.

Chelsea sadly passed away on 30 June 2014, after almost a year-long battle with cancer. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer and liver metastasis in July 2013, when she was 37 weeks pregnant with her daughter, Willow Grace.

The 27-year-old underwent a gruelling 13 cycles of chemotherapy and, although the early stages of treatment were encouraging, Chelsea’s condition worsened. Shortly after her wedding to partner Matthew Leonard, on 7 June, she was admitted to The Christie and was cared for by the palliative team until she passed away peacefully.

Matthew, one of the expert Litigation lawyers at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield, felt that The Christie provided fantastic care and support to Chelsea and their family. The hospital is one of the leading experts in cancer care, research and education. The Christie charity supports more than 40,000 cancer patients each year and helps fund life-changing and potentially life-saving projects.

David Turner, Associate Director in the Motor team at Irwin Mitchell, who is part of the team running the 10k, said: “It has been a very sad time following Chelsea’s passing and she is greatly missed. This is an opportunity for people to gather in memory of Chelsea, whilst raising funds and awareness for a wonderful charity and celebrating the positive influence that Chelsea had upon the lives of those of us who knew her.”

Charlie Rowen, events officer at The Christie charity, added: “We really appreciate the support from Chelsea’s colleagues, friends and family. The Great Yorkshire Run is a fantastic way to honour her memory and we wish everyone well with the run.”

Anyone wishing to support the team can make a donation online at: https://www.justgiving.com/leonard1. To find out more about the charity, please visit: http://www.christie.nhs.uk.