Cynon Valley pupils walk miles to raise money for teacher, 28, with ovarian cancer

Schoolchildren in the Cynon Valley have taken part in a walking challenge to help raise more than £20,000 after one of their teachers was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged just 28.

Abbie Marks has undergone an emergency operation and chemotherapy to treat the rare form of cancer, called Mucinous Adenocarcinoma.

She decided to set up a JustGiving page in support of the Velindre Cancer Centre, where she's been receiving treatment, and enlisted the help of her loved ones - 'Abbie's Athletes' - to raise money through physical activities.

Keen to help, staff and pupils at Glenboi Community Primary School in Mountain Ash came up with 'Miles for Miss Marks' - walking a combined 1,000 miles to raise money.

But the challenge kept growing and the tally stands at nearly 2,000 miles, with the school raising more than a pound for every mile walked.

Along with the other donations, the amount raised for Velindre so far stands at more than £21,000.

Abbie told ITV News: "It's put a smile on my face so much.

"I love my job and I love my class, and obviously over the last year I've barely been able to see them because of lockdown. And then this all happened as well.

"It's a shame I'm not there with them. But being able to see what they're doing from afar has warmed my heart so much. I am so proud."

Abbie's pupils said their teacher is kind-hearted, supportive and "really loved", adding that they miss her terribly.

Staff at the school also praised their "strong, wonderful" colleague.

Teacher Jessica Nixon said: "In the words of one of our pupils, she just said that Miss Marks was 'so magic'. So I just really think that that summarises the relationships she has with the pupils here - and her colleagues as well - amazing."

Headteacher Angharad Prys Evans added: "Miss Marks is just such an inspirational teacher. And she really inspired us again this time when she got her diagnosis. As soon as we knew that she wanted to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, and wanted to raise funds for Velindre, we knew that our community would want to get behind her and support her."

As well as raising money, Abbie also wants to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, especially in younger women.

She said: "Although this whole ordeal has been scary and emotional, I feel lucky that it was caught early.

"Many women with ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until a much later stage. This is why awareness is so important.

"Female health issues can be easily overlooked and many of us don’t seek the help we need as we put it down to other things - growing pains, period pains, I ate something too heavy - you name it, the excuse has been used!

"So girls, if you feel like something isn’t quite right, seek help, don’t downplay it and keep going until you get answers. You know your body better than anyone."

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