This coming Saturday (5 May) will be a very special day for Marlborough Town Football Club’s Emma Brown. Her drive and her journey has inspired the Veterans, who wanted to get together for one last time to hold a charity match and fundraising day and where they will take on the current Ladies team, all to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support which will go towards helping people in the Marlborough area.
Emma was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer just over six years ago and since then she has fought the cancer and come out on the other side as all clear, but with five years of annual checks.
She has endured all the chemotherapy and every other treatment along the way, but amazingly she became pregnant after several years of IVF and now has little Ayah, “the miracle of our world”.
Emma took the decision very early, just after coming out of hospital following surgery to remove the tumour, that she and her partner, Justin would try to start a family once the cancer was overcome and so she had eggs harvested from her remaining ovary before they were lost during the chemo. One of which fertilised and was frozen.
The long and arduous process of treatment to fight the cancer took over but four years later, once that battle ended the next stage of IVF started and very quickly Emma became pregnant and nine months later Ayah emerged into the world.
Macmillan Cancer Support is very important to Emma and she has already raised many thousands of pounds for the charity and was presented to Patron Prince Charles at a Macmillan event at Buckingham Palace last year.
Marlborough Town’s Elcot Lane ground and clubhouse may be a long way from Buckingham Palace, in many respects, but for Emma, her family and fellow club members it is home, and the perfect place to celebrate and hold a major fund-raising event around a very special match where the ‘veterans’ take on the current Ladies team.
Lots will be happening as well as the match with a disco, barbecue and plenty else, so come along to Elcot Lane on Saturday to support Emma, Ayah and Justin and everyone else in this area who will be helped by Macmillan in times to come.
