Leamington couple help fund new research into rare kidney cancer in memory of their daughter

A Leamington couple whose daughter died from a rare form of childhood kidney cancer has helped fund a vital new research project into the disease in partnership with a leading children’s cancer charity.

Bethany’s Wish, a Special Named Fund at Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), raises money for research into Wilms tumour in memory of eight-year-old Bethany Polanco, who passed away in October 2012.

Bethany’s parents, Angela and Alberto set up the fund as an independent charity in 2013 to support young cancer patients and their families, before partnering with CCLG in 2016.

Its supporters have raised over £85,000 for CCLG – and more than £200,000 in total – with this study being the fourth project Bethany’s Wish has helped to fund through the charity.

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Angela said she was “overwhelmed, humbled and inspired to hear that Bethany's legacy is still able to live on”.

She said: “In the beginning we had no idea how big and wide-reaching Bethany's Wish would be and we are thankful to each and every person that takes the time to donate and remember our girl.

“Funding research was one of the main aims of Bethany's Wish - we wanted to support families but also look deeper into why Wilms tumours happen, how we can find them earlier and how we can treat those like Bethany that do not respond as expected.”

Angela added: “To have been able to fund research into the tumour that took away my little girl is truly an honour.

“Every step we can make into finding more about the disease and how to stop any more children suffering is so important. Funding high-quality research is the only way to save more lives.”

The project, titled ‘Validating circulating biomarkers of Wilms tumour’, is led by Professor Matthew Murray who is a researcher at the University of Cambridge and paediatric oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He aims to help doctors diagnose this cancer more quickly and accurately, and know whether children are responding properly to treatment.

Find out more about Bethany’s Wish and CCLG’s Special Named Fund programme at https://specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/