Super Dunstable swimmer raises over £1.5k for Macmillan in honour of mum’s breast cancer battle

A Dunstable girl has put her fitness to the test by swimming the length of the English Channel for charity, after being inspired by her mother’s brave cancer battle.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Nov 2020, 10:09 BST
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Kind-hearted Claire Roe, eight, completed 1,423 lengths at The Dunstable Centre, beating her original target of 1,414 - the number of lengths it would take to swim to France (approx 21 miles).

Claire was inspired to help Macmillan because they supported the family after her mother, Lindsey, was diagnosed with cancer during lockdown, and she has so far raised a fantastic £1,530.

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Claire said: “I wanted to do it because my mummy got cancer and I wanted to raise money for people who have cancer.

Claire with her certificate and, right, with her sister, Emily, aged six. BBC 3CR interviewed Claire at the end of her challenge. The radio station honoured her with a Make a Difference Award. Claire celebrated with pizza and a movie!Claire with her certificate and, right, with her sister, Emily, aged six. BBC 3CR interviewed Claire at the end of her challenge. The radio station honoured her with a Make a Difference Award. Claire celebrated with pizza and a movie!
Claire with her certificate and, right, with her sister, Emily, aged six. BBC 3CR interviewed Claire at the end of her challenge. The radio station honoured her with a Make a Difference Award. Claire celebrated with pizza and a movie!

“I saw the advert for the swim challenge on my mummy’s Facebook and asked whether I could do it.

“The hardest part was fitting my swimming sessions in because there was limited times and only one hour sessions. I felt really happy when I completed it.”

Lindsey, 35, first became worried about her health during the Easter weekend, and was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 6.

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She bravely underwent a mastectomy and is required to take tablets (hormone therapy) for five years to stay in remission.

Lindsey said: “It was a bit of a whirlwind time for Claire and her sister, Emily. They were scared for me having the operation.

“The Sunday before I was diagnosed we had been on a bike ride; I had seemed fit and healthy. But when I came home from the operation I felt poorly. It seemed as if I’d been in hospital to be made ill.

“[During my recovery], Claire was amazing. She’d make me lunch and was looking after her little sister.”

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Lindsey, who now receives cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling via Macmillan, added that she was “extremely proud” of Claire, especially because her daughter has faced her own challenges, including asthma, whilst she was also born premature and fought to survive.

Lindsey also paid tribute to her mother, Sue, who died in December 2010 after an 18-month battle with breast cancer.

To donate to Macmillan, visit: https://swimit.macmillan.org.uk/fundraising/swim-challenge-at-8-years-old

For more information about breast cancer, including its symptoms, visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer/

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