A young LFC fan decided to undertake a challenge after she "almost lost" her grandad.
Emily Talman, from the Wirral, was told her grandad Peter Talman had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019. Having a very close relationship with her grandad, the 12-year-old feared "he was going to be taken away."
Thankfully, Peter, 65, was given the all clear after a successful operation to remove his prostate in July 2020. Now football mad Emily has been inspired by her grandad to undertake a challenge of her own.
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She said: "Me and my grandad are really close. He’s so caring and always tries his best to make us happy. I was heartbroken when I heard he had prostate cancer and thought he was going to be taken away from us.
“I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to still have him in my life, and I remember watching the Pride of Britain Awards last year and knowing my grandad was well again I just wanted to do something to help other families overcome this terrible disease.
“The best advice grandad has ever given me is to never give up, never give in, and that’s helped me in the last year for sure.”
In November last year, Emily decided to start running 3km every single day, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. To date, she has raised over £4,800.
An avid footballer, Emily plays for Rainbows Girls JFC on a Saturday and the Girls Can Play Academy on a Sunday, and is a huge Liverpool fan, like her dad and grandad, with Virgil van Dijk her favourite player. She attended the Reds’ successful two cup finals at Wembley earlier this year and completed her runs before each game.
Her regular route sees her run through Woodchurch and by the finale she would have clocked up 680 miles, the equivalent of running from Anfield to Wembley and back twice.
Emily added: "There has been some days where it's raining and cold and it makes it harder to do it but I just think about what my grandad said, never give up, never give in."
Peter said: "We are all so proud of Emily for her incredible efforts. It’s amazing what she has achieved and her efforts will help so many men like me.
“Her tenacity has been incredible. It’s been so wonderful to see her take this on and as someone affected by this disease, I’m truly humbled.”
Prostate cancer in the most common cancer among men, with 143 men being diagnosed every day on average. To sponsor Emily click here and for more information about prostate cancer, including the award-winning 30-second online risk checker, visit here.
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