Roberttown woman nominated for two Yorkshire Choice Awards after raising over £23,000 in memory of her daughter

Susan is nominated for ‘The Kate Granger Award for Outstanding Contribution’, for people who have gone the extra mile to make lasting contributions to others, and ‘Inspirational Individual of the Year 2023’, for people who have shown extreme courage and determination.

Susan began fundraising for Yorkshire's Brain Tumour Charity, as well as other local cancer and children’s charities, after her daughter Maci died in October 2017, aged 13.

Just two months before, in August 2017, Maci was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive, fast-growing childhood brain tumour.

There is no cure for DIPG brain tumours in children and very little funding into research. The average survival rate is just 8-12 months, and fewer than 10 per cent of children survive two years beyond diagnosis of DIPG. In almost all cases, DIPG tumours start to grow again 6-12 months after treatment.

‘Team Maci’, a group of Maci's family and friends, came together to raise money to change these statistics.

Through organising an annual ball, other fundraising events, raffles, collection tins and challenges, Susan and Team Maci have raised an incredible £23,608.46 for YBTC since 2018.

Currently, all funds raised by Team Maci are used to fund the Leeds Neuro Research Tissue Bank.

The tissue bank is a resource which can be used by world class researchers from Yorkshire and beyond to support their vital work to find more effective treatments, and ultimately a cure.

Jennifer Aspinall, Regional Fundraiser at Yorkshire's Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Susan and Team Maci have been instrumental in the research Yorkshire's Brain Tumour Charity has funded, and are the reason that the charity became involved with reinstating the Leeds tissue bank.

“We are incredibly grateful to Susan and her family for their phenomenal fundraising, and are so pleased to hear about Susan’s well-deserved nomination in recognition of her hard work supporting small charities like ours.”

Susan said: “There has been no change in treatment in the last 40 years. Could you imagine hearing that if this was your child?

“We had so many questions, and so little hope – we want to change that so that no family has to go through what we did.

“We have fundraised tirelessly to raise money for support for children and families like ours, but to also fund vital research.

“The tissue bank allows scientists access to children’s tumour tissue for research, giving hope of finding a breakthrough to thousands of families."

The Yorkshire Choice Awards Ceremony will take place at 7pm on Friday, June 9, at the Centenary Pavilion at Leeds United Football Ground on Lowfields Road, Beeston.

To vote for Susan to win in the Yorkshire Choice Awards, visit yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/votehere. Voting is open until April 2023.

To read more about the Leeds Neuro Research Tissue Bank, co-founded by YBTC using funds raised by Team Maci, visit yorksbtc.org.uk/Leeds-tissue-bank.