Four million steps for Mabel

Momentum provided crucial support to their family during their granddaughter Mabel’s cancer treatment, which began when she was just 2 years old.

Robert Gomez, 80, and his wife Ana Maria, 77, are embarking on an extraordinary 2,500-mile walk from Rome to Gibraltar, aiming to raise £4,000 for Momentum Children’s Charity.

The couple, who will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary in April, plan to walk approximately 17 miles each day for approximately six months. Due to Schengen visa restrictions, they will complete the challenge in two stages, returning to the UK halfway through, as the rules limit their stay in EU countries to just 90 days every 180 days.

Mabel, 5, from Surbiton, London, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) three years ago, in March 2023. After a challenging journey, she completed her cancer treatment at Kingston Hospital last spring.

Talking about his granddaughter Mabel’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, Robert Gomez said: “Receiving the news that Mabel had cancer was devastating. Her treatment lasted over two years and included daily chemotherapy, blood transfusions, lumbar punctures, steroids, and injections. One thing that amazed me about Mabel is that even though the treatment she went through was brutal, she took everything in her stride.”

Touching on the support the family received from Momentum, Robert said: “The Family Support Worker looking after Mabel and her family made regular calls to my daughter, Celine, it really helped her to speak to someone who understood the situation and knew the hospitals and medical staff. Momentum helped with signposting, accessing financial support, and introducing them to other families through coffee morning meet ups. As a family, we have all enjoyed a trip on Momentum’s boat, and Mabel and her family had a much-needed break at one of the charity’s respite cabins- an escape that allowed them to recharge during treatment after such a long period of isolation.”

Looking ahead to the walking challenge, Robert said: “It is going to be tough, but after seeing how well Mabel coped with her treatment, we are going to give it a good try. To honour her resilience and to say thank you to the charity that carried our family through the darkest times, we are embarking on this challenge of a lifetime. Although we are experienced walkers, this trek is by far our most difficult, daunting, and mountainous challenge. I have a tear in the meniscus on my left knee and have to wear a brace to ensure my knee can withstand the distance so it certainly isn’t going to be easy. Our daughter Celine says that all we need do is ‘be more Mabel’ and this is going to be our mantra and one which we will intone every time we are exhausted or in pain.”

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. The charity partners with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through their family support workers, both in hospital and at home.

Help Robert and Ana Maria reach their £4,000 fundraising target by sponsoring them here: Robert Gomez is fundraising for Momentum Children’s Charity

To find out more about the work of Momentum Children’s Charity’s social work service, please visit www.momentumcharity.org

Notes to Editors:

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home. Our services include counselling, creative therapies, special experiences, and respite breaks. If the unthinkable happens, and a child dies, we offer specialist bereavement support. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant entirely on voluntary support. 

Founded in 2004, Momentum Children’s Charity was started when Bianca Effemey OBE was working as a receptionist on the Paediatrics Ward at Kingston Hospital. Side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be very painful, and she became aware of the impact they were having on young cancer patients. It became her mission to get white goods donated to the hospital which could be kept full of refreshments, providing some relief to children suffering with mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy. Momentum has grown from a very small charity to now supporting over 2,500 individuals across 688 families in 2024/25. This includes 502 families with children in active treatment and 186 bereaved families.

If you are interested in learning more about the work Momentum does, seeing the roles they are currently recruiting for or would like to get involved by attending an event, volunteering or making a donation please visit www.momentumcharity.org

www.momentumcharity.org Registered charity number: 1195373

For more information about Momentum and future press opportunities, please contact:  Claire Smith, PR and Communications Officer: clairesmith@momentumcharity.org  /  0208 974 5931