Club funds young Hucknall mum's last holiday

This is Nottingham6th November, 2009

A HUCKNALL football club has raised £6,500 to send a young mum who is suffering from cancer on a final family holiday.

Emma Jones, 25, from Bestwood, was told four months ago she had between six months and a year to live after skin cancer spread around her body.

Hucknall Warriors FC held a charity auction, which included a pair of boxing gloves signed by Carl Froch, to raise funds for her.

Emma's brother David Hurry plays for them.

Emma's mum, Theresa Hurry, 46, said she wanted to thank the club and also raise awareness about malignant melanoma.

She said: "Emma has never been in the sun for very long and she's never been on a sun bed.

"But skin cancer is increasing and I hope hearing about Emma raises awareness, especially in young people.

"People should get things checked straightaway, as the sooner it's caught, the more chance there is."

A mole on Emma's thigh was found to be cancerous in November last year when she was seven months pregnant with Charlie.

He was delivered early on December 23, and two weeks later Emma had part of her thigh removed.

But despite treatment and surgery the cancer spread to her groin, lymph nodes, spine, neck and head.

Doctors said her pregnancy hormones could have sped up the progress of the disease.

Theresa said: "Just two weeks after Charlie was born she had to go for her surgery.

"It's hard to think she won't see him grow up.

"She's longing for Christmas and his first birthday. To her, even three weeks for the wedding is a long time to get through."

Emma's sister Amy, 21, has brought her wedding forward so Emma, who is on high doses of morphine for her pain, can be her chief bridesmaid. It is now three weeks away.

The family hope Emma will qualify for life-prolonging drugs on the NHS but fear she may not.

Theresa said: "Some days are better than others. Sometimes I could cry or scream but Emma keeps me going. I want to keep her, she's my baby. At 25 she's still my little girl."

Emma, who worked in shoe shop Clark's before she fell ill, married Robert five years ago after they met as teenagers at Big Wood School.

She said she was grateful to the football club and surprised at the level of support she received.

She said: "I thought it was an absolutely excellent night and I couldn't have wished for any more. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the support."

The family, who had the added heartbreak of losing Theresa's father to lung cancer during Emma's treatment, hope to use the money from the auction, which also included lots sent by Nottingham Forest and designer Paul Smith, for a short break.

They have not made a decision about where they will go as they are not sure if Emma will be able to leave the UK.

Theresa, who has given up work to care for her daughter at home, said: "It was absolutely unbelievable what the Warriors did. I'm still in shock.

"It was a wonderful night. Emma was a bit worried as she didn't want to be made a show of but it was brilliant."

She added: "The Froch gloves sold for £1,000. Everyone was so generous."

Anyone who wants to donate to the fund should e-mail contact@hucknallwarriors.co.uk

sarah.firth@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk

-->