Lexi Fallon centre front knelling with her Marks Celtic teammates
Football team rallies around Lexi (13) diagnosed with cancer
A fundraiser for a young Tallaght girl being treated for a rare cancer reached over €6,000 in just three days.
Lexi Fallon, aged 13 from Fettercairn, was diagnosed earlier this year with a rare type of brain cancer called ependymoma, undergoing surgery in early September.
She will now need to go to the UK for seven weeks of intensive treatment, a journey that will take a significant toll on both her and her loving family.
Lexi has played football with Marks Celtic FC since they first started their girl’s team three years ago.
Her teammates and club have rallied around the teenager, starting a GoFundMe and organising a fundraiser event for later this month.
Laura Bradley who coaches the U14s team and said Lexi’s attitude in the face of her diagnosis has been “incredible”.
Ependymoma is a rare type of cancer that affects the ependyma, or tissues in the central nervous system, developing on the brain or spinal cord.
According to Laura, Lexi had developed a “twitch in her head” and was diagnosed with the rare and “aggressive” cancer after a biopsy post-surgery.
“She was told she couldn’t get involved in sports, but she refused to not come to train, and so we involved her as an assistant coach,” Laura explained.
Lexi Fallon plays with Marks Celtic
“Even after her surgery, she made her mom bring her over to the pitch on one of the training days in the wheelchair, because she wanted to check in and show the girls she was okay.”
While the HSE are covering the cost of Lexi’s intensive proton beam radiation therapy in Manchester, there are still travel costs and more for her parents and older sister, especially as she will have to spend Christmas away from home for the treatment.
The GoFundMe page, set up by Laura and others in the club, reached almost €6,200 of their €7,000 target within the first three days of it being set up.
Marks Celtic are also hosting a special night of Bingo Loco and a raffle at the clubhouse on Friday, October 10, which rapidly sold out.
“Lexi’s passion for the club and her unwavering support for her friends is a testament to the beautiful person she is,” Laura said.
“I’ve been involved in football for years now and I’ve never come across a child with such resilience and strength as I have with Lexi.
“It really is a true inspiration to us and even the outpouring from the club alone to her and is a true testament to the girl she is.”
You can donate to support Lexi and her family at Lexi Cancer Journey on GoFundMe.
