A Herne Hill teenager whose dying wish was for her loved ones to ‘celebrate kindness’ has had £250,000 raised in her memory.
Ruby Fuller died from blood cancer aged eighteen and left her parents a list of compassionate ways they could remember her by.
Inspired by her message, the family aims to raise £500,000 to research T-cell lymphoma and leukaemia.
Emma Jones, Ruby’s mother, said: “Ruby would be so chuffed and so touched by everybody’s efforts and would be cheering them on.”
Ruby, a fierce environmental justice campaigner, was just seventeen when diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma in July 2019.
While undergoing chemotherapy, she urged family and friends to donate to blood cancer research rather than buy her flowers.
The Charter School North Dulwich head girl passed away ten months later in May 2020, saying goodbye to her family on Zoom due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
But a letter she left behind included a list of ways that family and friends could remember her, which embodied her caring and compassionate nature.
This list included celebrating kindness and calling out injustice by sharing her motto, ‘Live kindly, live loudly’, far and wide and helping other young cancer patients through fundraising for research.
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The family, who now live in Gipsy Hill, have seen huge support since it was set up.
Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group has been able to fund several new research projects that will further understanding of childhood blood cancer and lead to more effective treatments.
Much of the fundraising has been hugely influenced by Ruby’s passions, interests and personality, which Emma said is incredibly important to her.
On Saturday, September 14, Emma and eleven of her colleagues at Ashden, a climate action charity based in Victoria, take on the Thames Bridge Trek.
They will walk 25km across sixteen of London’s historic bridges and pass by several of the city’s iconic landmarks.
Emma said: “I’m a huge bridge geek. I love bridges and how they’re made and different types, and I think she got a bit of that from me. On holiday we’d go and check out different bridges.”
She added: “She was London born and bred and passionate about the city. So, London-based challenges are really special. She’d have loved this.”
You can donate to the Thames Bridge Trek fundraiser at https://www.justgiving.com/team/ashden. When donating, sponsors can comment their favourite London bridge to have a chance to win a painting of that bridge by artist Stewart Walton (Instagram @stewart_walton).
Find out more about Ruby’s fund at https://specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/rubys-live-kindly-live-loudly-fund/
