Melton mum's cancer diagnosis inspires family fundraising spree

Daughter, Sophia (11), and eight-year-old son, Nathaniel, raised nearly £4,000 from sponsored swims while Katie’s husband, Graham, generated £1,700 by completing the Great North Run on Sunday.

All the money will be donated to Prevent Breast Cancer, which focuses on preventing the disease, rather than curing it, by promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes.

The fundraising has provided a focus for the family just a couple of months after 42-year-old Katie’s diagnosis.

Graham said: “The children came up with the idea for the fundraising.

“I’m very proud of them for doing it and proud of my wife for everything she is going through.”

It is just over two months since Katie, a local primary school teacher, received her diagnosis.

She has completed three of eight courses of chemotherapy and the family remain hopeful that the treatment will work.

The couple, who have been married 14 years, decided to make their children aware from the start.

"It’s not the sort of thing you want to tell your children, having to say ‘mummy’s got it’,” said Graham.

“We did tell them that it was cancer and that this is the plan for her treatment.

"We didn’t want to skirt round it.

“But Katie is strong and she is getting on with it – the only time she gets upset is when it interferes with our activities with the children.”

Sophia and Nathaniel swam five miles in five days and Sophia also then swam more than five miles in just five hours – the children raised an amazing £3,700 through their efforts.

Graham ran the Great North Run – the world’s biggest half-marathon, along the roads of the north-east of England – in a time of one hour, 48 minutes.

He added: “As a team and a family we do things together and we confront this thing head-on.

"I couldn’t be any prouder of all three of them.”

Go to www.justgiving.com/page/graham-keast-1692722596026 to sponsor Graham.