Team Molly raises over £41,000 for Weston Park Cancer Charity in memory of beloved daughter and sister

Molly Midgley-Hellend was just 26 years old when she was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a rare form of cancer which can often be incurable.

The first symptom of Molly’s cancer was a lump on her eye, which had begun to impact her vision.

“Initially the doctors thought the lump was benign,” said Eleanor, Molly’s Mum. “But unfortunately, in January 2023 we discovered that it was a nasty tumour.”

Molly was told that she would need to go through a major operation to remove her eye and cheekbone. But first the doctors had to make sure that the cancer hadn’t metastasized.

While waiting for her results, Molly and her younger sister Alicia decided to set up a fundraising page. Within 48 hours, they had already raised £4,000. Molly also set up an Instagram page so that she could raise awareness of ACC and share her experience of treatment.

Tragically, at her appointment Molly was told that the cancer had already spread to her lungs. Without any proven treatments available, Molly’s doctors were unsure of how much time she had left.

“Molly had so much to live for,” said Eleanor. “She had recently got engaged and was looking forward to married life and becoming a mum one day.

“She knew there wasn’t going to be a cure for her. But she was determined to raise as much money and awareness as possible, so that other young people wouldn’t have to go through what she did.

“She was in a very isolated place. But she found this small silver lining that gave us something to focus on.”

During her last year of life, Molly raised over £50,000 for Salivary Gland Cancer UK. She then decided to raise money for Weston Park Cancer Charity to help fund vital cancer research.

People from all walks of Molly’s life, including family members, friends, and even former teachers, joined her on her fundraising journey.

Since forming, ‘Team Molly’ has completed numerous challenges including the Sheffield Half Marathon, the York Marathon, and UK-wide cycle events. Molly even ran the Sheffield 10k herself while she was going through treatment.

Molly’s mirror ball legacy

Molly was a massive fan of Taylor Swift and many of Team Molly’s fundraising events now feature mirror balls in reference to one of her favourite Taylor Swift songs.

In December 2023, even though her vision was almost gone, Molly created a Taylor Swift themed Christmas table for her family – complete with party bags, mirror balls, special glassware, and two life sized Taylor Swift cardboard cut outs.

“She told us to take a photo,” said Eleanor, “so that we could do the table like that every year. That was Molly – brave on another level.

“I’m a nurse, and at the start of my career I thought that people who knew they were dying would be inconsolable. But you often find that people who are facing the worst situations find a certain resilience, and Molly had that with knobs on.

“She was extremely strong and all the nurses that dealt with her laughed as much as they cried because she was very funny.”

When Molly sadly died in February 2024, she’d requested that her funeral also included some nods to her favourite artist.

“Molly left instructions that everyone at her funeral had to wear a bit of sparkle,” said Eleanor. “We had Irish dancers and when Taylor Swift came on, a mosh pit formed! Four hundred people turned up and then they all went clubbing afterwards. Molly would have thought it was perfect.”

Since Molly’s passing, her friends and family have continued to raise vital funds for the hospital that cared for her during her illness.

“We ran the Sheffield half marathon four weeks after Molly died,” said Eleanor. “Our house is on the route, and we’d put mirror balls in the trees along the road. David, Molly’s dad, ran with mirror balls around his neck and they were falling off all over the place!”

“That day was extremely emotional. It was very hard running past our house, knowing that Molly wasn’t there anymore.”

Members of Team Molly have found that their close community has helped them to grieve for Molly and celebrate her life.

“Team Molly has brought so many people together who never would have met otherwise,” said Eleanor. “I know that Molly was aware of that community forming and she felt the hug of that.

“People are always asking me – what should we do next? I’m gobsmacked by the amount of energy in Team Molly. It’s a testament to her.

“Raising money is our way of leaving a legacy for Molly. We know first-hand how important the money is to Weston Park Cancer Charity.

“We’ve been floored by losing Molly. But now it’s just our pain that we need to deal with and thankfully not hers. At some point we’ll try to start processing things, but for now I’ll just keep running. I’m a much happier person when I’ve been out for a run.”

Encouraging others to get active

This year, Team Molly is supporting Weston Park Cancer Charity’s Active Challenge campaign. The charity is encouraging supporters to run, cycle, walk, or swim to raise vital funds for Weston Park.

“Fundraising is a win-win situation,” said Eleanor. “It’s a way of doing something pro-active and positive, at a time when you feel like you can’t control anything.

“Personally, I’ve found that exercising is an incredibly helpful way of dealing with grief. It benefits you physically and emotionally and helps you to find a sense of community.

“Whether you’re running a 10k or a marathon - the first 3k is always the hardest. That’s when you have all the self-doubt before the endorphins get going.

“As Molly proved, it’s all about determination and bloody-mindedness – and there’s enough of that in Yorkshire to get everybody moving around!”

This year, Team Molly will be taking on several challenges, including the Sheffield Half Marathon and the York 10-mile race. To donate, please head to justgiving.com/page/teammollyfundraising.

If you’d like to join Team Weston Park for one of our active challenges in 2025, please visit team-weston-park.raiselysite.com.