Three years ago, a tight-knit Welsh community united to support a young girl in her battle for survival. Now, that very same community has mobilised once more - this time for the family and the charity that sustained them through their most heartbreaking ordeal.
Back in 2021, two-year-old Olivia Finch from Bryn, Neath Port Talbot, fell critically ill. For over 40 days she had been suffering from vomiting and experiencing difficulty walking. When her parents - Kelly and Nick - eventually got the answers they desperately sought, the news was crushing: stage four neuroblastoma, a brutal childhood cancer with roughly a 50% survival rate.
News rapidly circulated throughout the village that one of their neighbours required assistance. The community transformed into a rock of strength for the Finch family, particularly when a ray of hope emerged through a clinical trial in America; a possible method to stop Olivia's cancer from returning.
Though this hope carried an intimidating cost, the village remained resolute and leapt into action. Fundraising commenced on March 1, 2022, and the reaction was extraordinary. Cake sales, sponsored walks, and charitable events packed the diary. Contributions flooded in not only from Wales, but from locations as distant as South Africa and Australia.
In just one month, they had already secured £150,000 of the required £250,000. Kelly recalls: "People were incredible. We had messages from people we'd never met. You could feel the whole community behind us, lifting us up when we needed it most."
Throughout the subsequent months and years, Olivia battled through countless rounds of intensive treatment. Six cycles of an alternative chemotherapy regimen proved unsuccessful. By October 2023, she had developed resistance to the medications and her health declined significantly. "She'd got really bad," Kelly said candidly.
