A 12-year-old girl who ran three kilometres every day for a year said she is “uplifted with joy” after raising more than £10,000 for a prostate cancer charity.
Emily Talman, from the Wirral, Merseyside, decided to take on her 3K-a-day challenge to help Prostate Cancer UK after almost losing her grandfather Peter to the disease.
Emily started running on November 8 2021 and has brought in more than £10,325 after completing her challenge on Tuesday.
She told the PA news agency: “I’m feeling uplifted with joy. My grandad has always told me, ‘Never give up, never give in’ and that’s what I’ve told myself during my challenge.
“When I ran through the finish line I didn’t know what to think, I just felt like carrying on running.”
Peter, 69, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019 but has since recovered after successful surgery to remove his prostate in July 2020.
Emily said she is the “luckiest girl in the world” to still have her grandfather and said watching the Pride Of Britain Awards on TV inspired her to start fundraising.
“I remember watching the Pride Of Britain Awards last year, when my grandad was better, and I just wanted to do something to help other families who are going through what we did,” Emily said.
“I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to still have him in my life.”
In the UK, around one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Emily said she would think about the families who have lost their loved ones to cancer to motivate her to “keep going” on the difficult days during her challenge.
“I just always think of the people whose lives are in danger,” Emily said.
“I think about the people who can’t be with their grandad, dad, uncle, or brother because of prostate cancer.”
Emily’s parents, Ricky Talman and Stacey Williams, said they are “so proud” of their daughter who even made time on Christmas Day and her 12th birthday on August 15 to complete her runs.
Mr Talman told PA: “It’s a tough challenge but she’s just been a warrior and everyone in the family is so proud of her.
“With all the limelight she’s had, Emily has been able to raise so much awareness of prostate cancer.
“It’s been such a good experience for her and people have been stopping her and texting her to talk about her challenge all day.
“I think she feels like a bit of a celebrity at the moment.”
Ms Williams added: “We are very proud of her, we’re just beaming with pride.”
Emily, who is a huge Liverpool fan, is also a keen footballer herself and plays for Rainbows Girls JFC on a Saturday and the Girls Can Play Academy on a Sunday.
Earlier this year, Emily attended the Reds’ successful two cup finals at the Wembley Stadium in London, but still made sure to complete her runs before kick-off.
The young footballer, whose favourite Liverpool player is Virgil van Dijk, wore the shirt of the club’s arch rival, Everton, to help raise even more funds for her campaign.
Emily said she plans to “have a little break from running” now that her challenge has finished, but hopes to complete 100 more days every year in the future to keep raising awareness of different cancers.
To donate to Emily’s fundraiser visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emily-talman
For more information about prostate cancer including an 30-second online risk checker, visit prostatecanceruk.org
