Maltby woman takes on challenge in memory of life-long best friend who died of brain cancer aged 13

A Maltby woman is taking on an epic challenge to raise money for the place her best friend and ‘sister by bond’ spent her final moments.
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Chloe Aitken said goodbye to her best friend Georgia Finlayson, who was just 13-years-old, at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in 2012 following a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Now, to pay tribute to Georgia and raise funds for the hospice, she’ll be walking 10,000 steps every single day in July.

“Me and Georgia have been best friends as long as I can remember,” said Chloe, now aged 22.

Chloe and Georgia in happy times.Chloe and Georgia in happy times.
Chloe and Georgia in happy times.

“We grew up on the same street, were in the same classes at school and we did absolutely everything together.

“We were sisters - not by blood, but by bond.”

Georgia’s devastating diagnosis brought the pair even closer together, with Chloe spending many hours with her best friend and her family at Bluebell Wood.

“Our friendship grew stronger and stronger throughout her illness, but we were still just two naughty kids who would do anything and everything that got us into trouble.

“We caused all sorts of mischief at Bluebell Wood but, despite the circumstances, we had the best times together.

“Bluebell Wood really is a beautiful place and it used to make me forget she wasn’t well.

"This was all thanks to Bluebell Wood and the amazing team there, so it really does deserve all the recognition in the world.”

Georgia, a previously healthy girl who is described by her family as “loving, beautiful and full of mischief” died within a year of being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Since then, her dad Harry Finlayson has become a dedicated fundraiser and advocate for the place that became a “home from home” for his family in the final months of Georgia’s life, raising tens of thousands of pounds for the charity.

“There’s no way I can ever thank Bluebell Wood and the staff properly for everything they did for Georgia, myself and her family. So this is just my way of helping them to continue with the amazing work that meant we could make such beautiful memories,” added Chloe.

You can support Chloe’s fundraising mission by searching ‘Chloe Aitken’ at https://www.justgiving.com/

Jason Gossop, Regional Fundraiser at Bluebell Wood, said: “It was our privilege to be there for Georgia, her family and Chloe in those final months and we’ve been humbled by their support ever since.

“Chloe’s challenge is a wonderfully moving and thoughtful way to pay tribute to her best friend and we’ll be cheering her on every step of the way.”

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