Caitlin, a young person supported by Teens Unite has been on a fundraising mission to help others in a similar situation. And we're so proud of her!
At the age of 14, Caitlin was diagnosed with a Sertoli Leydig Cell Tumour. In 2018, she signed up with Teens Unite, where she benefitted from hearing the stories of others, and having a support network around her who genuinely understood what she was going through.
Caitlin has really gone the extra mile to make a difference...quite literally! Caitlin kicked off her fundraising with a wing-walk, which saw her strapped to a plane, and walking along the wings mid-flight, as it was soaring through the air.
She said: "Since being diagnosed with cancer, I’ve really tried to stick by the phrase ‘you only live once’ so a wing walk was the perfect challenge for me who was previously scared of heights. Although it was totally freezing up there, the views made it all the worth while and seeing my family and friends waving and cheering from below made it a moment I will never forget."
Once her feet were firmly back on the ground, Caitlin then got to work on organising a fundraising dinner, which over 100 of her friends, family and people from the community attended. Everyone enjoyed a sit down meal and Caitlin gave a speech about the support she has received from two charities close to her heart; Teens Unite and Maggie's, which the funds have been divided between.
Caitlin raised an amazing £4,000 for each charity.
She said: "I wanted to fundraise for Teens Unite as it’s a charity that’s not just there for you through your diagnosis and treatment, but there for you after. This can be a very lonely time as you try and figure out this new life for yourself. Meeting other teens who have been through the same experiences as me has been so helpful in owning my diagnosis. I wanted to give back as a massive thankyou to Teens Unite for all they have done for me."
Thank you so much Caitlin - we really appreciate you raising vital funds and awareness.
