As Beth Phelps, a 12-year-old girl, was preparing for bed one evening and brushing her teeth, her parents spotted a “protruding lump” on her shoulder, which was visible through her T-shirt.
Up until that moment, Beth had been a healthy young girl.
Sadly, after a visit to the doctor, it was revealed that 12-year-old Beth had a 7cm lesion on her left lung, which was diagnosed as Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Beth began treatment immediately. She underwent surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, after which she was declared cancer-free.
In June 2022, Beth started feeling pain in her right shoulder. The pain worsened, and an x-ray showed that the cancer had returned to her other lung. This time, the outlook was bleak.
Beth passed away on October 3, 2022.
Before her heartbreaking death, her parents were presented with a therapeutic study. However, they chose to pursue palliative care to ensure that “her remaining time was as comfortable as possible.”
Reflecting on the family’s struggle, Beth’s father, Ben, shared, “Our world was turned upside down in an instant. She showed no symptoms that were alarming. Beth was a healthy little girl.
“But she faced all the treatments bravely, even though she was scared of needles. When we learned that her cancer had returned, we were devastated and in disbelief.
The heartbroken father expressed: “We had never heard of Ewing sarcoma until now. That’s why I’m doing everything I can to raise funds, so we can discover gentler treatments that can help more people survive.
“Beth is always my guiding light and my inspiration; this may be a difficult physical challenge, but it doesn’t even come close to what she went through. We think about Beth every single day, and we are committed to making a change in her honor.”
Now, Ben has taken on a cycling challenge to gather funds for the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT), cycling from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Caithness, Scotland.
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