Harry Birch’s then girlfriend, Izzy Darnes, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in June 2025, after feeling extremely lethargic for a week beforehand, coming out in unexplained bruises, and developing a petechiae rash (a cluster of small pinpoint red, purple or brown spots that appear on your skin).
Harry and Izzy got engaged in June this year after celebrating four years together with a trip to the cinema and a picnic, with Izzy describing Harry as her “best friend” who looks after her every day.
Now, to further show his support for Izzy, who is currently undergoing maintenance chemotherapy treatment, Harry, 24, along with his dad, Simon, 50, is walking and running 100 miles during September to raise funds for CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association.
Izzy, now 23, set up ‘Izzy’s Legacy’, a special named fund at CCLG, to raise funds for research specifically into ALL, as a way give back to a charity which has supported Izzy with trusted health information throughout her treatment, and to support children and young people diagnosed with the disease in the future.
Currently, Izzy’s Legacy has raised almost £8,000 for CCLG and Harry hopes his challenge will take Izzy close to the target of £10,000 she set when setting up the fund.
He said: “I’ve been so inspired by Izzy’s fundraising so far and we’re now close to her goal of £10,000.
“She’s been a bit stuck on what to do next, so I thought now was a good time to come in and help out.
“I’m so proud of Izzy for taking on the pain and the heartbreak of the cancer diagnosis by turning around and trying to make something good out of it. It's honestly amazing.
“She’s so persistent with it as well, and it would mean the world to me if she got all the way up to that £10,000, as I know it would mean the world to her as well.”
Izzy said that she hopes that her efforts can help CCLG in finding kinder, more effective treatment for children and young people with cancer, having endured a number of side effects and medical complications during her treatment, including extreme fatigue, a serious stomach infection and mobility issues which left her unable to walk for a month.
Speaking on what her fundraising means to her, Izzy said: “It’s nice to know you’ve got people backing you and supporting you in your mission and your cause.
“There's a whole army of us trying to achieve the same goal.
“And if I was able to help fund research so others had less time in hospital and better treatments, and they then had a better life because of it while they were on treatment – better than what I’ve had – then it's worth it, isn't it?”
Lizzie Goates, Community & Relationship Fundraising Manager at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Harry and Simon for taking on this challenge in support of Izzy.
“Their efforts, along with the incredible work of Izzy and all her supporters since setting up the fund, will help us to continue to fund pioneering research that will change the future for children and young people diagnosed with ALL.”
Donate to Harry’s fundraising here.