Liberty was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma on her 13th birthday in September 2016. She very sadly passed away on October 11th, 2017, just 2 weeks after her 14th birthday.
Liberty's greatest wish upon discovering her cancer had returned and that her prognosis was terminal, was that her family raise funds in her name for vital research into this cruel disease. And so Liberty's Legacy was born in the immediate days following her passing, becoming a special fund of the Bone Cancer Research Trust on February 1st 2018.
Liberty’s sister, Liv, explains more about Liberty’s Legacy and sends her thanks to everyone who has supported their family.
Liberty’s family and friends along with the wider community have been raising awareness and vital funds for new life-saving research into Ewing sarcoma, to help children and others like Liberty, as this was her wish. In such a short time, an incredible amount of £200,000 has been raised.
Kate Connor, Community Fundraising Manager at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said:
From Charity Auctions, Cake Sales, Netball tournaments, Fashion Shows and Runs, to Mufti Days and Head shaves.....we’ve been truly overwhelmed by the support from #TeamLibs. On behalf of everyone at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, we want to say a MASSIVE thank you. Your support has not only raised life-saving funds but has raised crucial awareness of Ewing sarcoma. You’ve all done Liberty so proud.
Following the achievements of Liberty’s Legacy, Liberty’s mum, Karen, said:
In the months following Liberty’s death I was researching obtaining our own charitable status when by chance I came across the tribute funds section of the Bone Cancer Research Trust.
It was very clear that as the leading UK charity into primary bone cancer, BCRT would be the perfect partner to help us achieve our charitable objectives! These had been stipulated by Liberty in her final weeks, she had been very explicit about her frustration at the lack of research into Ewing’s and that the primary focus of her Legacy was to raise money for much needed research specifically for Ewing Sarcoma.
Remarkably the only fear she ever expressed throughout her cancer journey was in her final weeks and was of being forgotten, so it was also of vital importance to both Liberty and ourselves that any fundraising be in her name.
BCRT allowed us to not only achieve both these objectives but also gave us the obvious advantages of being able to use their invaluable fundraising experience and resources, minimising the costs to us, whilst importantly taking away the administrative burden of setting up and running a charity ourselves. It was a ‘no brainer’!
It allowed us to focus on raising funds and raising awareness of Ewing’s and Liberty’s Legacy, but also gave us the peace of mind that if we needed to take a step back or break as we learned to live with the devastating loss of Liberty, it was possible for us to do so.
Since then however it has literally been full steam ahead as her Legacy has grown from strength to strength!! We are so proud of what we have managed to achieve in the last 12 months and hope with all our heart that Liberty would approve.
It has not always been easy, in fact at times incredibly hard and more often than not bittersweet, but we are grateful that it has given us a voice and opportunity to bring Liberty into the future with us.
We are absolutely determined to continue the fight that she so courageously started, and we want to change the landscape for children and families who have to walk the same path that we walked by bringing about more effective and curative treatments for Ewing’s.
What has also given us a huge amount of strength is the overwhelming support we have received from our ever growing #TeamLibs community, from her closest friends and those who knew Liberty well, to those that never had the privilege of meeting her.
Not only are they helping to support us in finding a cure for this cruel disease, but they are ensuring that Liberty’s memory continues to shine, just as she wanted and so very much deserved.
Click below to find out more about Liberty's Legacy
