Brave cancer battler Frankie, five, urges folk to have a clear out

Five-year-old Frankie Garbett, who was been treated for an aggressive form of cancer, is supporting TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes For Good campaign in support of Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens.

Frankie and her family are urging people to help beat children’s cancers by donating any pre-loved quality clothing, accessories and homeware they no longer need to their nearest TK Maxx store.

When resold in Cancer Research UK, each bag of items donated could raise up to £30 to help fund vital research into new, better and kinder treatments for cancers affecting children and young people.

Frankie is one of around 175 young people in the North West who are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Her family know first-hand how important research is in helping to save more lives.

Since Frankie was diagnosed with cancer in her bladder she has faced 15 blood transfusions and was admitted to hospital more than 100 times in 12 months.

Further challenges last year saw the youngster face a seven-hour operation to remove a tumour and another seven hours of surgery to remove her bladder and urethra after doctors found the cancer had spread.

Frankie, a pupil at St Laurence CE Primary School, Chorley, was only three when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at an advanced stage in her bladder.

Mum Sandra had immediately taken Frankie to their GP when she started passing blood in her urine.

Sandra, 37, who works as a lettings agent, said: “The last couple of years have been incredibly tough and it’s been awful to see her go through so much at a very young age. But she always fights back and we are incredibly proud of her courage and determination.

“It’s thanks to research into children’s cancers that Frankie is here today. That’s why raising funds for Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens is so important.

“Frankie and I will be having a good clear out at home and finding clothes and items to donate to our local TK Maxx store. I hope everyone in Lancashire will get behind this campaign too and turn something they no longer need into funds for such a fantastic cause.

Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens spokesperson for Lancashire, said: “Thanks to research, more children and young people are surviving cancer than ever before. But there’s still so much more to do.

“Our vision is to bring forward the day when no youngster diagnosed with cancer in Lancashire and across the UK dies from cancer - and to ensure that those who survive do so with a good quality of life.

“Campaigns like Give Up Clothes For Good, which support Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens, help us carry out more research to find new, better and kinder treatments for children and young people with cancer.

“So, we hope as many people as possible will show their support and donate any quality clothes or goods to their local TK Maxx store. Every item donated will help bring us one step closer to beating the disease.”

TK Maxx is the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s research into children’s cancers.