Fundraising mother wins top achievement title (From York Press)
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Fundraising mother, Julie Walker, wins Tesco Magazine’s achievement title
8:14am Tuesday 4th January 2011 in News
Julie Walker, left, with her late daughter Katie and husband Micky
A MOTHER from East Yorkshire who has raised thousands of pounds for charity since losing her daughter to cancer has been named Tesco Magazine’s Achieving Mum Of The Year.
Julie Walker founded the Katie Walker Cancer Trust in her daughter’s name shortly after her death, aged 20, in 2007.
Three years later, the charity, which is affiliated to the Teenage Cancer Trust, has raised £40,000 to fund research into teenage cancer and give financial support to families with teenagers suffering from cancer.
Katie, from Bridlington, had been battling cancer ever since she was born. A scan soon after her birth showed a large tumour in her coccyx, which had been growing since her conception.
During an operation to have the tumour removed, she died and was brought back to life three times. Julie and her husband, Micky, were told Katie was very unlikely to survive and if she did, she would never be able to walk.
A year later, Katie was still alive and defied all the odds by taking her first steps unaided.
Shortly after her third birthday the cancer returned – but after further surgery and six months of chemotherapy, Katie had once again beaten the disease.
But when the cancer returned a third time in 2005, there was nothing more doctors could do. Julie, 43, said: “Katie made us promise we would do two things after she died – that we would stay together and not get divorced and that we would set up a charity in her name.
“She told us that we had to be strong and not to allow ourselves to be ‘wusses’, saying she couldn’t rest in peace if she knew we were sat around crying.
“Even though she always had a smile on her face, Katie suffered immensely.
“If we can stop just one teenager going through what Katie went through, we will have succeeded.”
Julie has been invited to a ceremony at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London next month to pick up her award.
