‘My shining star Amber’s gone – it doesn’t feel real. Maybe it never will’

TORMENT OF CANCER VICTIM’S FATHER

women under 25 would be ineffective, but, working with his son Josh, Darren believes the age for testing should be lowered to 18. Campaigning for Amber’s Law, more than 335,000 people have signed a petition backing the call for change, and Darren says his daughter’s heartbreaking story has already made a ‘massive’ difference. He said: “Because of the mas- sive awareness that Amber’s Law has created, we have received calls and messages from all over the UK, France, Spain, and even Australia with various stories.

“The main recurring theme is if they hadn’t read about Amber, they wouldn’t have gone for an overdue smear.

“Some have been lucky and have tested clear, others have had cancerous cells detected.”

Working with established Sunderland charity Hope 4 Kidz, Darren has thrown himself into fundraising and using Amber’s story to raise awareness of the importance of smear tests.

So far, the campaign has donated £10,000 to ward 34 at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital – where Amber was treated and passed away – and to sev- Amber Cliff, who died of cervical cancer at the age of 25 eral families battling the disease.

Many more thousands have been raised at events such as Amber’s Ball and a Hollywood Glam Ball, as well as a charity football match between Bradley Lowery United and Ambers Law FC.

Darren has also pushed himself to the physical limit in June by taking on the Total Warrior course in Leeds.

Up next for the dedicated dad is the Great North Run on September 10, which he will be running alongside friend Martin Donnelly, and a sponsored skydive a week later.

Darren, 52, added: “I won’t ever stop fighting on her behalf and we have such an awesome backing.

“Let’s get the law changed for Amber and for all of the young ladies out there who deserve better medical care.

“We can never replace Amber but we will make sure her legacy will be to save lives, and we believe she has