A group of lifelong friends are rallying around a dad who held the "very thing killing" his daughter in his hands.
When dad-of-two Stephen Bennett from St Helens was told that his youngest daughter, Leah, had cancer, he knew exactly who to turn to for support. The 42-year-old was able to rely on his childhood friends who had faced their own cancer diagnoses and lost loved ones to the disease.
Two of his friends David McKie and James Thomas have both been successfully treated for testicular cancer and brothers Alan and Shaun McKeegan sadly lost their dad to lymphoma. Over the past 18 months, the friends have held a host of events including a mini music festival, a black-tie casino night, a sponsored swim, numerous raffles, and auctions.
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Stephen was shown a 3D print of the tumour that was killing his daughter. In 2020 he told the ECHO: "Staring at it in front of my eyes was just horrifying - it looked huge and holding it made the hairs on my neck stand up. I held in my hands the very thing that was killing my little girl and that is quite a chilling experience."
"You start to think, how the hell is she going to beat this? How could this have possibly grown inside her without us knowing? It was completely horrifying. I felt so empty and helpless and like I had let her down and failed as a parent."
Now 10, Leah is having medication from home, which is keeping her stable. She is back playing with her football team, and in September she will join her 13-year-old sister, Phoebe when she starts high school.
Stephen’s friend David McKie was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 after his left testicle suddenly became swollen while on holiday in Turkey. When he arrived back home the swelling got worse, and David went to his GP. His testicle was removed soon after and tests confirmed it to be cancerous.
David, who works as an engineer, had three rounds of chemotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, in Liverpool, to target the cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes. After treatment David, 42, feared he may struggle to have children of his own, but since going into remission he has become a dad to two-year-old Harley.
David said: "Ste's daughter Leah was diagnosed shortly after me. Her treatment, although slightly different was still similar enough to share with Ste how it made me feel.
"I hoped it gave him a little insight into what to expect and understand what Leah was going through. Ste and I have been friends since we started primary school. We have a good, close group of friends that have helped each other throughout."
Another friend, James Thomas, was also diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2020 and went through the same treatment as David. The 40-year-old dad-of-two is also now in remission.
James, a self-employed builder, said: “The hardest part for me this past year is how to process the fact that I have had cancer. But when I compare this to young Leah who has battled and is still battling this cruel disease there is no comparison, and this is what inspired me to climb Kilimanjaro.”
The fundraising will culminate next month when the team of seven will take on the final and most gruelling challenge yet – a seven-day hike to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the largest mountain in Africa.
Two further group members Alan McKeegan, 42, and his 40-year-old brother Shaun will complete Race for Life and the Kilimanjaro challenge in memory of their dad John who died from lymphoma in 2016.
Stephen said: "Things have been stable for over two years now and, fingers crossed, if taking medicine twice a day is all she [Leah] has to put up with, it’s a minor price to pay. Right now, she’s in a great place and life is good, and a lot of that is down to science and research.
"Without it, I’m not sure she would be here now. By raising this money, we can help other children and adults, my friends included, who have faced or will face a cancer diagnosis."
If you would like to find out more about the group's fundraising efforts click here.
