A FORMER Northern Echo journalist who lost his daughter to a rare and aggressive brain tumour is urging readers to step forward and take part in Cancer Research UK’s Walk All Over Cancer Campaign.

Martin Neal, who was the Deputy Sports Editor in the mid-1990s and now lives in Wickford, Essex, took part in the charity event last year, on the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s death.

Six-year-old Katie died in 1999 after she was struck down with medulloblastoma -a rare cancer of the brain and central nervous system.

Mr Neal and his wife Debbie, 54, a teacher, are hoping by sharing their story and backing the campaign they can help raise awareness and funds for vital research.

Originally from Essex, the family relocated to the North-East in 1990 and Katie was born in the area.

He said: “She was a healthy, beautiful, little baby. We had our son Tom, who was three years older than Katie, and we thought our perfect little family was complete. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

However, over Christmas 1997, Martin and Debbie noticed that something wasn’t quite right with Katie.

He added: “She was sick and feeling out of sorts. We also noticed that one of her eyes was quite droopy. I thought it would be quite minor but when the GP saw her, he said he’d seen this before and she needed to go to hospital straight away.

“Even then I kept thinking it wouldn’t be too serious, but Debbie had a feeling from the outset that this was bad”.

After a series of tests, the family were left devastated when Katie was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumour.

Over the next 14 months Katie underwent surgery, intense radiotherapy and chemotherapy until doctors told Martin and Debbie there was nothing further they could do for their daughter.

“At one point during those months, she had finished her treatment and the scans came back clear”, added Martin. “We always knew she was facing an uphill battle, but we hoped she was out of the woods. Unfortunately, the cancer returned, and doctors told us they couldn’t give her any more treatment”.

When Katie died in March 1999, Martin and Debbie decided to keep her memory alive by launching the Katie Trust, which raised more than £300,000 to help fund research into medulloblastoma.

Martin, who has two grandchildren, Isla and Milo, said: “People asked me how we coped with such a heart-breaking situation, but we had to keep going. We had our little boy Tom to look after and we had amazing support from family and friends.

“We set up the charity as we just wanted to keep Katie’s memory alive by giving something back. It’s the sort of thing Katie would’ve done. Katie was such a beautiful, intelligent and thoughtful little girl, she was always thinking of others even though she was just a child.”

Last year Martin heard about Cancer Research UK’s Walk All Over Cancer challenge and signed up immediately.

He said: “I knew straight away this was something I wanted to do. It was taking place in March, the 20th anniversary of Katie’s death. Also, Debbie had been diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2015 and had been successfully treated. Cancer Research UK had become a charity very close to our hearts, so this felt completely the right thing to do”.

Martin received national support, including backing from his favourite band Stiff Little Fingers after he contacted the lead singer Jake Burns to let him know what he was doing.

By the end of Martin’s Walk All Over Cancer challenge he’d raised a total of £2,600.

He said: “During my walks I would think of Katie and how she would be now, would she like the same music as me? Would she come to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea with us because, like the rest of the family, she was a big fan? What kind of young woman would she have grown up to be? She was so strong in my mind, I felt like I was walking with her. I really do believe this is something she would have been so proud to see me do.”

Cancer Research UK is encouraging everybody to sign up now to Walk All Over Cancer and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day for a month.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North East, said: “It’s fantastic that we have Martin and Debbie’s support. They have been through so much as a family yet they are still making a difference and reaching out to help others who have also been affected by cancer.

He continued: “10,000 steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides. That’s quite a challenge for many people. Some of us have very sedentary lives - driving to work, sitting at a desk or enjoying a boxset on the sofa. But adopting small changes that you can stick too – from walking to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift – will help make the goal feel achievable.”

To sign up, visit cruk.org/walkallover