The family of a Marlow schoolgirl who is bravely battling Leukaemia is urging people to get behind a new fundraising campaign in a bid to “walk all over cancer”.

Honey Edwards, a pupil at Holy Trinity School, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on February 28 last year – her dad’s 38th birthday.

Her parents, Shane and Kelly, said they “knew something wasn’t right” after going back and forth to the doctors with Honey, but thought she may have an infection or growing pains.

As her pain got worse, she was taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where they were told the shattering news that their daughter had cancer.

Shane said: “That’s when my heart dropped – you just don’t want to believe that can happen to your family, to your little girl.”

The following day, Honey was transferred to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital where she began nine months of intensive chemotherapy treatment.

She spent the first seven weeks in hospital before she was able to go home and continue her treatment as an outpatient.

Shane added: “It seemed like forever and was such a stressful time for us – we had two other young children at home and we had to think about them, who would take care of them, give them their dinner and get them to and from school each day while we were at the hospital with Honey.

“It was an awful year but things are much calmer now that Honey is in a maintenance stage of her treatment which she is set to finish in April next year.

“She has just amazed us throughout. There have been some very hard days where you see your little girl just curling up, she didn’t want to talk to anybody. She’s been very emotional and would sometimes just burst into tears.

“Losing her long blonde hair twice during the treatment was very tough but thankfully it’s coming back now and so is her confidence.”

The family are now getting behind Cancer Research UK’s new fundraising campaign, called Walk All Over Cancer, and inviting people across the county to sign up and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in June.

Shane said: “Research is vitally important to help people like Honey fight this disease and that’s why I want to encourage the people of Buckinghamshire to put on their walking shoes and step up to the Walk All Over Cancer challenge with us this June.”

Jenny Makin, regional spokesperson for Cancer Research UK, said: “Every day around 130 people are diagnosed with cancer in the South East.

“Walking 10,000 steps per day is quite a task but people can go at their own pace and build the walks into their day–to-day routine. The best part about walking is that it’s totally free, all you need is a good pair of shoes and you’re set to go.

“Walkers can take part on their own or invite friends, family and colleagues to help them clock up the foot miles. Listening to music or just taking in the sounds and views along the way can be an added benefit too.

“Every stride taken and every donation made will fund Cancer Research UK’s ground-breaking research to help find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.”

To sign up and download motivation tools including a wall chart, leader board and sponsorship form, visit www.cruk.org/walkallover