Nine-year-old passes halfway mark of amazing challenge

1 min read

A nine-year-old’s fundraising challenge in memory of her dad has raised more than £3,100 so far.

Sophie Willis started her month-long 44 x Forty-Four Challenge at the beginning of June. She set herself the target to complete 44 different challenges and 44 repetitions (or seconds, minutes etc) of each to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.

Her fundraising comes after her dad, Jason, passed away from a brain tumour last year. Jason was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in January 2019. He underwent treatment and was cared for at home by his wife Jen throughout the pandemic. He died on 26th October 2020.

Sophie chose the number 44 to match Jason’s age when he passed away. The challenges she has completed so far include a 44-minute silence, reading 44 stories, learning 44 French words and 44 laps of the garden. She has raised more than £3,100, with lots more challenges still to come.

She said:I am doing this because my dad was important and I really miss him. He wasn’t just any dad; he was a super dad and I was proud to have him as my dad. My dad was cool. He would teach me loads of things and I would always listen.”

If you’re feeling inspired by Sophie’s amazing fundraising, you can click here to donate to her JustGiving page.

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