A team of intrepid fundraisers dubbed the 'Magnificent 11' laced up their walking boots to mark what would have been an East Kilbride lad's 20th birthday.
Members of local group The Murray 12 Walkers joined Lee Jamieson's mum Elizabeth-Ann Holmes, family and friends, on a three-day trek to celebrate the 11 years Lee "lit up" their lives.
The brave youngster sadly lost a nine-month battle with leukaemia in August 2014, spending his 12th birthday (January 21) in the children's cancer ward at Yorkhill Hospital.
In a bid to leave a lasting legacy, Lee's mum and dad Stephen set up the 'Live it for Lee' charity foundation in his memory.
Since then , the former Murray Primary pupil’s family, friends and supporters have made it their mission to raise as much money as possible to fund leukaemia and lymphoma research to help find a cure.
And this latest fundraiser, an 11-mile walk round Glasgow's Linn Park, has added a whopping £2200 to the charity's fundraising pot which, in the last eight years, has raised more than £255,000 for Blood Cancer UK.
Elizabeth-Ann told Lanarkshire Live : "I'd like to say a huge thank you to all 26 of our 'Magnificent 11' walkers who joined us on three different dates over what should have been our wee boy’s 20th birthday.
"And a huge thanks for every single penny so kindly donated once again in Lee’s name - giving us a magnificent total to date of £2236.25.
"This was the perfect opportunity to celebrate our very own 'Magnificent 11' years of Lee, before he spent his last birthday in the Children’s Cancer Ward at Yorkhill Hospital.
"Lee was 11 years old in P7 when his life as he knew it ground to a halt. He was at school as normal one Friday, and on the Monday he was admitted to Yorkhill and diagnosed with a rare leukaemia, and fell asleep for the last time nine months later.
"Lee spent his last birthday in the children’s cancer ward, turning 12 with a new iPhone and a blood transfusion to give him energy enough to stay awake.
"But the reality that is easier to focus on is the 'Magnificent 11' years that Lee filled our home and our hearts with his endless beautiful energy, his love, his friends, his cheek, his fun - and his hundreds of footballs and mucky boots.
"He filled us with his life."
Live it for Lee raises money for Blood Cancer UK to help fund their life-changing and lifesaving research projects for over 100 different types of blood cancers, including Burkitt lymphoma that took Lee's life.
The Magnificent 11 Miles ran from Linn Park, through Kings Park, Castlemilk woods and Cathkin Braes.
Among a whole host of fundraisers by Elizabeth-Anne was a 300 mile cycle during lockdown 2020, virtually covering the distance from London to Paris by pedalling across the central belt raising £1300.
Back in 2018 Elizabeth-Anne took part in the epic London2Paris fundraiser – a whopping 500 kilometres over three-and-a-half days – raising nearly £13k for the cause.
And not content with the trials and tribulations of the cycle challenge, she also did a belated 50th birthday challenge to run 50 miles in February through snow, wind and rain raising £900.
Funds raised by the charity are funnelled into the work of Professor Michelle West at the University of Sussex, linked to the type of lymphoma Lee had.
You can make a donation to the charity online.
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