Runner keeps promise she made before best pal died.
They grew up as neighbours, rode their bikes together pretending they were cars, and promised each other they would one day be bridesmaids at each other's weddings.
But when Daisy Ellis was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer at just 21, that future was cruelly cut short. Now her lifelong friend Francesca Partridge, from Milton Keynes, is running the London Marathon to honour the girl she called her sister — and to keep a promise she made to her before she died at just 25.
“She was amazing at sharing her imagination, always playing with me – riding our bikes in the close pretending they were cars,” said Francesca, 27, who grew up with Daisy in Rothersthorpe, near Northampton.
“We promised each other that we would be bridesmaids at each other’s weddings. Sisters forever. Together or apart – she will remain in my heart.”
In 2017, Daisy was aged 21 and at university studying to be a teacher. One weekend, she felt back pain. She was sent for tests by a GP and given the shocking news that she either had leukaemia or a rare form of cancer.
It was in August 2017 that Daisy was told she had stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. There is an average of 31 cases diagnosed every year in England.
There followed two years of treatment – 20 cycles of chemotherapy, 50 sessions of radiotherapy and a number of operations. Daisy also tried to get a trial drug to prolong her life that was not available on the NHS. Funds from garden parties were raised to go to the USA, but Daisy’s health became so poor that she was told she couldn’t travel.
The cancer had spread significantly and the last time Francesca saw Daisy they watched Supermarket Sweep together in hospital. She died a few days later, in September 2019.
“She will always have a place in my heart, and she made us all promise we’d continue to raise awareness and that’s what we are doing,” said Francesca. “She was one of the best role models I could have had growing up. She was always ready with her words of wisdom or your eyebrow wax.”
Now Francesca will run her first London Marathon on 26th April for the charity Sarcoma UK. She has played football for women’s teams including Cambridge United and Luton Town but admits running 26 miles is a very different challenge.
“Daisy’s story is a devastating reminder of why research into rhabdomyosarcoma is so urgently needed,” said Emily Williams, Sarcoma UK’s Research Manager. “This is an aggressive cancer that too often affects young people, and survival rates have simply not improved enough over recent decades.
“Together, this research gives us real hope that, in the future, fewer families will have to endure the heartbreak that Francesca and all those who loved Daisy have suffered. We are incredibly grateful to fundraisers like Francesca for making this work possible.”
To donate to Francesca’s cause, go to: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/francesca-partridge
