Northumberland girl with rare form of cancer is Rainbow Trust’s face of the Great North Run

Mya Ela and her mum Natalie, from Stakeford, are calling on people to take part in the AJ Bell Great North Run for the Rainbow Trust.

The charity has 70 places up for grabs for the half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields on September 8.

The money raised from #TeamMyaEla will help families who have a child with a life threatening illness to make the most of their time together.

Rainbow Trust pairs each family with an expert family support worker who helps them at home, in hospital and in the community, for as long as it is needed.

Natalie said, “We have been supported by Jaimie, our family support worker since April last year, and she has been my absolute rock to be honest. I would feel so lost without her. She has made such a big difference to our lives.”

Mya Ela suffered with health problems from when she was a small baby and despite many trips to the doctor’s she was three years old before she was taken to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle where a cancerous mass was found and she was given the diagnosis of Burkitt Lymphoma.

Natalie said: “They told me the mass was shutting her body down. If I had left her for one more night in her condition, she wouldn’t have woken up.”

Mya Ela was sent for biopsies, scans and tests and then put into an induced coma in intensive care, put on a ventilator and a dialysis machine for 12 days. She also started emergency chemotherapy because the mass was so large.

In May 2023 Mya Ela had emergency surgery to have stoma fitted as she had developed colitis and she remained in hospital for four months receiving further chemotherapy, leaving her bedbound as the treatment made her so poorly.

Natalie struggled with the isolation and said: “I felt like my heart had been ripped out. It was my daughter, I’m meant to be her protector, and make sure she’s safe and she’s well. I’ve pushed and pushed and pushed with the doctors and not been listened to, and it’s come down to this. It was awful.”

Jaimie initially spent time with Mya Ela in hospital giving Natalie a much needed break but since returning home in July has provided respite care by taking her out as well as bringing food and essential items. She also supports her with her school work.

As each month passes Mya Ela is doing better and better. Her speech is improving and she recently learned to count to 30.

She has also made the brave decision to take part in the Junior and Mini Great North Run which takes place on Saturday 7 September where entrants aged from 3 to 9 years old run a 1.2km course.

Oonagh Goodman, director of fundraising and marketing at Rainbow Trust, said: “The Great North Run is one of Rainbow Trust’s biggest events of the year and we are extremely grateful to Mya Ela and her mum Natalie for backing our appeal.”

Participants need to raise £300 and pay a £20 registration fee.

To sign up visit https://www.rainbowtrust.org.uk/events/great-north-run-2024