As her parents watched their 12-year-old daughter wash her teeth, they noticed an indication of a rare cancer that ultimately led to her death. Ben, 48, and Aby, 49, Beth Phelps’ parents, saw a “protruding lump” on her shoulder, visible beneath her t-shirt, as she was getting ready for bed.

According to tests conducted at Jersey General Hospital, Beth had a 7 cm lesion on her left lung, which turned out to be Ewing sarcoma, an uncommon and deadly kind of cancer. She was given the all-clear following chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, but nine months later, it returned in her right lung.

A therapeutic study was provided to Ben and Aby, but they decided to use palliative care to make “her time left as comfortable as possible.” Aby passed away 12 days before turning 13. Ben, the HR director from Jersey, is riding to raise money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) from Land’s End, Cornwall, to John O’Groats, Caithness, Scotland.

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“Our world in the blink of an eye was completely tipped upside down,” he said. “She had no symptoms that stood out. Beth was a healthy little girl.”

“But she took all the treatment in her stride, despite being terrified of needles. When we were told her cancer had come back, we were shocked and heartbroken.”

“We’d never heard of Ewing sarcoma before – that’s why I’m trying to raise as much money as I can, so we can find kinder treatments to help more people survive.”

“Beth is my guiding light and inspiration always; this might be a tough physical challenge, but doesn’t compare to anything she endured. We miss Beth every day, and we are determined to make a difference in her name.”

Her GP sent them to A&E Jersey General Hospital when they noticed the first lump in December 2020, where Beth received an MRI, CT scan, and X-ray. Beth started the first of four rounds of chemotherapy on Christmas Day 2020.

Beth had surgery at Stanmore Hospital in May 2021 to remove the malignancy and her entire left scapula. Beth had six weeks of radiotherapy at University College London Hospitals after completing three additional rounds of chemotherapy at Southampton General Hospital.

“This was agonising as a parent to watch,” said Ben. “The nursing and play staff were amazing at helping to keep her calm, but nothing prepares you for some of the procedures that take place in order to give treatment.”

Beth returned home with no cancer after nine months of treatment. But she began to feel pain in her right shoulder in June 2022. An X-ray showed that the cancer had spread to Beth’s right shoulder as the agony worsened. Beth passed away on October 3, 2022.

Ben said, “We had to make a decision whether to put Beth through a clinical trial, which meant more time away in hospitals and the possibility of never seeing home again. We chose palliative care and set out to make her time left as comfortable as possible, giving her the dignity and love that she so truly deserved.”

“She took her last breath surrounded by me, Aby, the dog and our cat, Monkey. Beth was funny, quick-witted and beautiful. She is with me forever and especially on this challenge.”

From June 22 to July 5, Ben will ride his bike from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Louise Everett, senior regional relationship manager at the BCRT said: “This is an incredibly inspiring challenge that Ben is taking on. We’re grateful that people like Ben want to keep raising vital funds and awareness so no other family has to go through what they went through.”

Ben is using JustGiving to raise money.