The mum of a three-year-old boy who has spent much of his short life battling leukaemia has completed her first fundraising effort for the charity launched in his honour.  

Lucy Ellerker-Jones, and her husband Lewis Jones, set up the Opie Jones Foundation to support families with children who are battling cancer.     

Their only son, Opie, was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was just five months old during the coronavirus pandemic and has just passed his two-year milestone of being cancer free.  

Cambs Times: Opie Jones has spent much of his short life having treatment for leukaemia.Opie Jones has spent much of his short life having treatment for leukaemia. (Image: Lucy Ellerker-Jones)To raise funds for the charity, Lucy, and five other supporters climbed Mount Snowdon, in Wales, on Saturday (September 16) and have raised £2,500 for the cause.  

Among them was her daughter Kara Canning. 

The money raised will go towards mental health support and therapy for families with children who have been diagnosed with childhood cancer.  

The Opie Jones Foundation also advocates for easier access to kinder treatments approved for childhood cancer, such as specialist cell therapy called CAR-T that helped Opie.  

Cambs Times: Hikers fundraising for The Opie Jones Foundation. From L-R: Melanie Algate, Kara Canning, Lucy Ellerker-Jones, Simone Wall, Yasmin Churchman and Sophie Pitts with her dog Peggy.Hikers fundraising for The Opie Jones Foundation. From L-R: Melanie Algate, Kara Canning, Lucy Ellerker-Jones, Simone Wall, Yasmin Churchman and Sophie Pitts with her dog Peggy. (Image: Lucy Ellerker-Jones)

Lucy, who grew up in Bluntisham and now lives near Warboys, said: “It was an amazing experience and thank you for all the generous donations. 

“This will go a long way towards helping families and raising awareness of childhood cancer.”  

Opie underwent gruelling chemotherapy and relapsed after a bone marrow transplant before he was eligible for CAR-T.    

At the time, the one-year-old was only the 9th person of his age in Europe to have had the treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London.    

Cambs Times: Opie Jones, aged three, has just marked his two years cancer free milestone.Opie Jones, aged three, has just marked his two years cancer free milestone. (Image: Lucy Ellerker-Jones)

Lucy added: “At the moment, approved gene and cell therapies are only available if a child relapses.    

“This means they have been exposed to the most toxic treatments, with life changing consequences to their fragile and developing bodies. 

“We feel this has to change.” 

To donate, Kara's JustGiving page is still open at https://tinyurl.com/mr3xbv8n