LOSING her long locks was one of the most devastating parts of cancer treatment for a Quinton teenager – but her family braved the shave to make sure she didn’t go through it alone.
Ellie Roling went to the doctors with what she suspected was tonsillitis, but the 17 year-old and her family were stunned when doctors diagnosed her with leukemia.
Along with concerns of having to go through treatment, Ellie was devastated at the thought of losing her long hair.
To show their support, her dad David, brother Lee and sister-in-law Clare Hartley decided to have their hair cut to raise awareness about the disease and and money for leuk
emia charities and University Hospital Coventry, where Ellie is currently undergoing treatment.
Clare said: “Ellie has had to be incredibly brave and face some terrible fears that no young girl should. As well as having to go through the hard, devastating treatment which will make her very poorly, one of the things that was bothering her the most was knowing she was going to lose her lovely long hair – which is one of a girl’s worst nightmares.
“We decided to shave our hair off to make Ellie feel a little more confident within herself and help her look towards putting all her remaining energy to getting better.”
Animal-loving Ellie – who is studying equine studies in Gloucester – also had her hair chopped off and has donated her locks to the Little Princess Trust.
And so far the money donated to the family has tipped nearly £2,000.
Clare added: “Ellie is an inspiring young lady who loves all her family and friends very much and would do anything for them, so its more important that we can do this for her by raising awareness and spreading the word about how devastating cancer can be.
“The support not only Ellie has received from people but us as a family has been overwhelming.”
Visit www.gofundme.com/3fu0hao to donate.
