A Young Ambassador for Momentum Children's Charity

“I am Gracie, I am 16 years old and I live in Partridge Green, West Sussex.

In March of 2024, I was getting some pain in my right knee. At this time, we had just got a new puppy, Milo, and I was bending down a lot, so we thought that could have caused the pain. We also thought it could have been growing pains. However, it wasn’t getting any better, so my mum took me to my GP. My mum thought it might have been Osgood-Schlatter disease, because of family history, so they scheduled an x-ray, which would take around six weeks.

After a week or so, the pain was getting worse, I could barely walk and a lump had formed, so my mum took me to Worthing Hospital A&E. Within 48 hours, my mum was told that it was evident I had lesions in my leg.

I was sent to Stanmore Hospital to have two biopsies, and I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. I was immediately sent to London UCLH to have MAP (Methotrexate, Doxorubicin, Cisplatin) chemotherapy.

After two weeks of chemotherapy, the tumour wasn’t responding to treatment as they had hoped, and it was growing. So, the following Monday I had an emergency tumour resection. During that stay, I was offered a new immunotherapy drug trial, called Mifamurtide, (which I accepted) which would trick my immune system to fight if cancer cells were ever brought back into my body.

After four weeks of recovery, I was back up in London to proceed with chemo. Treatment was hard, the appointments, the side effects, but the hardest thing may have been being away from home, from my family and from my best friend. Knowing that I could come home and see all of them after some of the hardest weeks of my life helped me stay positive throughout everything.

We first heard about Momentum during one of my infusions at Worthing Hospital. My mum and I were waiting, and Amy came in to introduce herself and tell us a bit about Momentum, and to get to know me. She was so positive, and just so happy to talk to us and we got on so well immediately. I was, and still am, so grateful to have been able to have Amy there to support me. Even if it was just someone to talk to about things that weren’t medical, or for a chat, it was always so lovely to talk to her. When Amy was there, she helped take our minds off what was happening. She was so compassionate and understanding and really helped us. Every moment that Amy was able to come see us was special, she brought happiness, banter and fun to a situation that was very routine for us. She made us laugh and smile in a very difficult period.

Amy pointed us in the direction of Momentum family respites in the New Forest which gave us an opportunity as a family to step away from the day-to-day treatment schedule. It gave us a chance to not think about it, relax, and spend quality time together.

I have always loved reading and gaming but since finishing my treatment, I have found my love of guitar and baking. I play acoustic, electric, and classical and love to bake banana bread. During treatment, I mostly spent my time gaming, which was a nice way to escape and spend time with my best friend, who would come over and sit with me and we would play games.

Whilst my energy levels were low and I was immunocompromised from chemotherapy, it was important for me to have a distraction and something to do, even if that was just sitting behind a screen all day. My favourite song to play on guitar is probably “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson. It is so warm, and vibey and you can really feel the music. My favourite artist is either Billie Eilish, who I was lucky to see in concert in July 2025, or Ariana Grande.

The best thing I baked recently are Biscoff stuffed chocolate cookies! I honestly can’t just pick one favourite book, it is impossible. Different books mattered to me during different times in my life for varied reasons. If I had to narrow it down, it would probably be “Picking Daisies on Sundays” by Lianna Cincotti, “Keeping 13” by Chloe Walsh or “Release Me” by Tahereh Mafi. 

Another big passion of mine is the movie franchise Avatar! My favourite character is Neytiri. What I love about her character is that she is super cool and a protective mother that will fight for her family. I admire how strong, brave, and loyal she is. Her determination and courage is really inspiring. To me, Avatar is more than just a film I enjoy watching; I love the world, the characters, and the emotion behind the story.

Everything I have been through has definitely changed the way I look at life. It is so important to be present and to try and enjoy as much as I can. Gracie pre-cancer would be so involved in drama and silly, meaningless things, but it has taught me to grow up, act mature and see life in a different way. Life’s too short and precious to be caught up in unnecessary conflict. 

I am looking forward to finishing my GCSE’s (finally) after going back a school year. For those that are in the same position as I was in, not wanting to miss out on friendship groups and wanting to stay in your current year, it is SO worth it to go back. I would never have the opportunities I have now without going back and resitting Year 10. It is important to focus on YOUR future and YOUR goals. My biggest hope for the future is that I will get to study medicine and go on to become an emergency doctor. I want to be able to help others in their most vulnerable moments and to be someone people can rely on.

If I could say one thing to a young person going through cancer treatment it would be, be gentle with yourself. You don’t have to be brave all the time, you are allowed to be angry, you are allowed to be sad, and you are allowed to be tired. You do not have to do this perfectly; you just have to keep going. Some days that will be major, and some days it will be just getting out of bed, and both are equally important and are enough. 

Charities like Momentum are so important for families, because being in a situation like mine can feel so isolating and they need to know that they aren’t alone, and that there is support and a community.

It is a privilege to be able to be a Young Ambassador for such an amazing charity.”

Our young ambassadors, a group of children and young people aged between 10-22 years old that have all been supported by Momentum Children’s Charity. In this voluntary role, our young ambassadors are using their experiences and ideas to do their own fundraising, as well as supporting campaigns led by the charity. Find out more here