Arsenal and England star Beth Mead has announced her captaincy for Ovarian Cancer UK’s Walk in Her Name initiative in March and implored fans and supporters to walk 100km in support of the many women, including her mum, who have lost their lives to Ovarian Cancer.
The 27-year-old striker was relishing a sensational year professionally as she won FSA Player of the Year, the Golden Boot as part of the Lionesses Euro2022 triumph and then BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.
Yet, the year also marked a significant challenge for the striker and her family as Mead’s mother passed away following a two-year fight against ovarian cancer.
Mead took to social media in January to share the heartbreaking news, which came just a few months after Mead suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the Gunners’ dramatic 3-2 Women’s Super League loss to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium to fire her into a race against time to be back fit for next summer's Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Following her mum’s passing, Mead became an ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Action and has since announced that she is taking on the captaincy for next month’s challenge in part of the official Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Taking to Twitter, Mead wrote: “Delighted to announce that I’m taking on the role of Captain for @OvarianCancerUK ’s #WalkInHerName in March. My rehab means I can’t walk 100km in a month, so I'm asking you to walk for me on behalf of Mum and thousands of women lost to #OvarianCancer ”.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women, with around 7,500 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year, according to ovarian.org.uk.
For more information, visit https://ovarian.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/walk-in-her-name-step-challenge/ .
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