Shine For Sally

28/09/2025

Thank you to Milly's Smiles & Paint Pot for a lovely morning.

07/09/2025

So why Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness?

04/09/2025

Sally kept a blog during her cancer journey as a way to keep family & friends informed what was happening.
Throughout September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we will be posting some of Sally's story, written in her own words, from her blog.

Once we were admitted onto Ward 84 at Manchester Children's Hospital things happened very quickly.
Sally was taken to theatre where a biopsy was done & a hickman line fitted ready for the chemotherapy to start.
Two weeks after the first round of chemo, Sally's hair started to fall out. This is the post she did called 'Hair Cut Time'

https://sallycornes.blogspot.com/2017/11/hair-cut-time.html

My hair was starting to get really thin and it looked awful. It was getting really annoying as well because I was forever picking hair off things like my food! I wanted to get it shaved off! So we put my hair in a platt and my mum cut it off at the top while the rest of my family kept messing with my hair that had fallen out! That made me laugh a lot!!!!!!!! Personally, I don't think I suited short hair but everyone thinks I do! Milly went swimming but when she got back we shaved my hair off. At first it felt really weird but I have got used to it now. This morning we went back to Manchester to get my wig. The lady had found us a really good colour which was good! Then she went off to go and curl it! It looks just like my hair! I love it!

01/09/2025

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.

This is Sally on her first day of Year 6 in September 2017, days before we took her to A&E in the early hours of the morning in excruciating pain.

Sally had been complaining of pain in her back/shoulder during the summer holidays. We thought perhaps she had hurt her back dancing or doing gymnastics, two of the things she loved.
During a visit to the GP it was suggested she had torn a tendon or ligament & she was referred to a shoulder specialist.

A&E sent her for a chest x-ray, told us she had a chest infection & sent us home with antibiotics!

A week later Sally was in a great deal of pain again. We went straight back to the
hospital where another X-ray was done.

The following day we were called back to the hospital for an ultra sound & CT scan.
That day our lives changed forever. We were told that Sally had a mass on her 7th rib & we were being referred to Oncology at Manchester Children's Hospital!

05/06/2025

15/05/2025

We're on this week's 'ThankYouThursday'

The sun just keeps on shining for ! Here are this week's sunny supporters who've done wonderful things for Derian House ☀️

💚 McDonald's franchises from across Lancashire have raised a phenomenal £3,952 for us from their first quarter of fundraising, including their annual 9-mile hike from Chorley to Preston. They even dropped by with McFlurries for us to enjoy on the hottest day of the year so far!

💚 Shine For Sally managed to raise a whopping £6,000 to be split between us and Milly's Smiles from their latest dance extravaganza.

💚 Darwen Vale High School's Janet Greenhalgh ran the TCS London Marathon and raised an incredible £850 for us in the process.

💚 The lovely Freya took part in the viral ice bucket challenge trend during a VE Day street party, raising £112 for us in memory of a little boy from her school who recently passed away.

💚 The Penwortham community came together over the weekend to raise vital funds for Derian House with a family fun day for all to enjoy.

TY 🫶

13/05/2025

We have now presented our two chosen charities with the money raised from 'Shine for Sally 4'.
They both received £3,000.00 from our amazing total of £6,000.00.
It is lovely to be able to give something back to these two amazing charities who supported Sally & continue to support her family.
A huge thank you to everyone involved.
We have done Sally proud💜###

11/05/2025

Such a lovely, supportive group. So grateful to Milly's Smiles.

19/03/2025

What an experience for Lorraine & Milly's Smiles. Milly would be so proud!❤️

A Proud Milestone for Milly’s Smiles

Yesterday was a momentous day for Milly’s Smiles as we had the honour of being invited to the Houses of Parliament by our MP, Sarah Smith, to meet with the Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Ashley Dalton. The purpose of the invitation was to discuss the vital work we do in supporting children newly diagnosed with cancer and admitted to hospital.

Walking through the historic halls of Parliament was an overwhelming yet humbling experience. The weight of its history and significance was truly profound, and it was an incredible privilege to be there.

During our meeting, we were warmly welcomed by the Minister and joined by two Civil Servants responsible for delivering key aspects of the NHS Long Term Plan. Being able to share the impact of our work in Milly’s memory was an immensely proud moment. When I founded Milly’s Smiles nine years ago, I could never have imagined sitting in Parliament, engaging directly with Ministers, MPs, and policymakers.

In addition to highlighting the difference our work makes to families facing childhood cancer, we also discussed our perspectives on the recently reinstated Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce, which aims to improve cancer treatment, early detection, and research for young patients.

Following the meeting, we were given a tour of Parliament and had the incredible opportunity to sit in the House of Commons and observe a live debate. It was truly a day to remember and a significant step forward in raising awareness of the needs of children and families affected by childhood cancer 🎗🌈🎗

23/02/2025

A lovely time at the Paint Pot today with the SOULS group.
So grateful to Lorraine at Milly's Smiles for organising this for us xx❤️

11/02/2024

We presented two out of our four chosen charities, Rory’s Box & Milly's Smiles with the money raised from 'Shine for Sally3' this morning. They both received £1,325.00 from the amazing total of £5,300.00!!
Thank you to everyone involved. We have done Sally proud!💜

16/01/2024

Happy Heavenly 17th Birthday Sally!
Always in our thoughts & forever in our hearts!💜