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Fearless five-year-old from Darlington runs to raise money after death of best friend
A five-year-old from Darlington has raised over £500 for Brain Tumour Research, by running 10km in memory of his best friend, Sophie.
Rowan Lyons, of Abbey Infant School, has completed five Junior Park Runs, one for each year of Sophie Welburn’s life.
Best Friends from Day One
Sophie and Rowan met at school in September 2021, and connected instantly, despite Sophie having been diagnosed with a brain tumour just a few months prior.
According to Sophie’s Mum, Louise: “Rowan didn’t know Sophie was poorly and he embraced her like any other child”, going as far as to wait for her by the door on the mornings she attended school.
Sophie continued to go to school until early March, when her condition quickly deteriorated. On the 18th of March, Sophie died peacefully at home with her family by her side.
Missing Sophie
Rowan said: “I felt really sad when Sophie died, and I miss my best friend. I wanted to do something good, and I like running. I felt very tired afterwards.”
Rowan has completed five 2km runs, raising a grand total of £502 for Brain Tumour Research. His parents are really proud of him, and encourage his fundraising efforts as a way to help him understand what happened to Sophie.
Brain Tumour Research are also grateful for everything Rowan has done to raise awareness for their cause. Brain tumours are not like other cancers, as they don’t discriminate; they can affect anyone at any time.
The money Rowan has raised will go towards vital research about the causes of what causes them.
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Rowan and Sophie pulling faces at school Credit: Brain Tumour Research