So much more needs to be done in cancer fight

Today’s tragic story of brave little Sophie Fairall will have touched everyone and put everything into perspective. The inspirational 10-year-old had been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare type of cancer that forms in children’s soft tissue like skeletal muscle – in September last year.

But despite that devastating prognosis, Sophie tackled life with an incredible zest and a heart-warming smile as she set about completing her ‘bucket list’.

Heartbreakingly, though, she died surrounded by her family in their Stubbington home at 9.12am on Saturday as her devastated mother, Charlotte, cuddled her.

One shining light to come out of this horrendous tragedy is that after her diagnosis, Sophie launched a fundraising campaign in aid of children’s cancer charity Alice’s Ark, something that has already raised more than £30,000.

But Sophie’s heartbroken mum has demanded more cash for research into children’s cancer and urged people to lobby their MPs to ‘pile pressure on people at the very top’ in a bid to bring about change.

It is certainly a worrying statistic that in 2020/21 Cancer Research UK spent £423m on various forms of cancer, yet just £13m was spent on ‘basic research, infrastructure and research projects that focused on cancers that affect 0-24-year olds’.

And Mrs Fairall also revealed that the week Sophie was diagnosed, five other children were diagnosed with cancer in Portsmouth.

That is horrifically frightening and it is clear, despite a lot of great work being carried out by charities, so much more needs to be done so others don’t have to suffer like Sophie in the fight against the scourge of cancer.

■ To donate to Sophie’s fundraising campaign, see justgiving. com/fundraising/charlotte-fairall5