The sister of a cancer patient from the island receiving treatment at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC) in Liverpool is raising money to say thank you to the charity.

As the Examiner reported on July 6, Pamela Armillei, aged 40, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in April, after a routine blood test.

After a stint in intensive care at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, she has been undergoing treatment at Clatterbridge ever since.

Now, her sister Melanie Patterson, from Onchan, is aiming to run 100 miles in October to thank the staff there, who she described as ‘incredible, the strength and positivity shown [by them] is just inspiring.’

Mel is aiming to raise £10 per mile, for a grand total of £1,000.

Describing her family’s experience, Mel said: ‘From the very beginning, the care, support, hard work and commitment shown by the staff at Clatterbridge was incredible.

‘Due to Covid-19 restrictions, my sister travelled alone and has spent a great deal of time without her loved ones.

‘After her first round of chemotherapy, my sister became very, very sick and was taken to the ICU.

‘We were allowed to see her due to her being so very unwell and the care shown by the ICU team and CCC nurses to both my family and my sister will never be forgotten.

‘Thankfully with the hard work of the doctors and nurses, my sister is still with us and has completed a further two rounds of chemotherapy.’

She added: ‘I was fortunate enough to be able to visit my sister on her return to Clatterbridge and every single member of staff I met [was] amazing.

‘They have become my sister’s substitute family whilst we have been unable to be with her.’

The CCC is Liverpool’s specialist cancer hospital.

Money raised through charitable donations help to fund several ground-breaking features which help treat and provide comfort to patients based there.

Mel said: ‘You don’t think about things like the cancer centres and the fact that you might need one.

‘A lot of the stuff they do has all been paid for by donations, and I never had an awareness of it and I just would like to raise more awareness of it, because Clatterbridge is something that people on the Isle of Man will rely on.’

One such feature is its ‘Headstrong room’ which is the busiest of its kind in the UK.

The room is a dedicated space for patients dealing with hair loss, something which is difficult for many in that situation.

Mel said her family’s experience has led to ‘the realisation [that] you need to enjoy every moment with the people you love, because you just don’t know, it comes out of the blue.’

She said: ‘I want to give something back, and I’m not particularly fit so this is going to be horrible!

‘I absolutely hate [running], so I’m going to do that for a month!’

To sponsor Mel, and read more about the challenge, visit her GoFundMe page http://buff.ly/3n4HPvl