Lydia’s friends and family help raise £26K for Brain Tumour Research charity

More than £26,000 has been raised in the name of a woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year.
family support: Lydia (right) with her sister Caroline.family support: Lydia (right) with her sister Caroline.
family support: Lydia (right) with her sister Caroline.

Lydia Carfrae, who now lives in America, is now undergoing a course of chemotherapy, but her friends and family have been raising the cash under the banner of #TeamLyd.

The 35-year-old was diagnosed last year after she suffered numbness in her fingers and developed a weakness to the left side of her body.

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Doctors initially suspected she had multiple sclerosis before the full, devastating diagnosis was discovered.

Lydia sporting a new wig after chemo treatment.Lydia sporting a new wig after chemo treatment.
Lydia sporting a new wig after chemo treatment.

Since then her supporters in Wakefield have been walking, cycling, swimming and running to clock up 9,470 miles - the distance of a round trip from Wakefield to her home in Houston, Texas.

This raised more than £6,000. Meanwhile a sponsored 48-mile walk from Macclesfield to Wakefield raised another £5,000, while a hike up Croagh Patrick mountain in Ireland pulled in over £3,200.

A Facebook fundraiser page, set up immediately after Lydia’s diagnosis, has also raised more than £10,700 to date.

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The money will go towards the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Rosie Crawford, cousin to Lydia and organiser of the ‘Wakefield to Houston’ challenge, said: “We’re thrilled with how much we have raised so far and we’re blown away by how much support we’ve had here in Wakefield.

“Although Lydia now lives in Texas, she was adamant that funds raised in her name should help research taking place in the UK.

“It’s the least we can do for her as she undergoes further treatment.”

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Lydia spent Christmas in Wakefield before returning to the USA to continue her treatment, which includes tumour treating fields - a non-invasive technique which uses electrical fields to prevent the tumour from growing or spreading so quickly.