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Ella Cromack's kicking challenge in aid of father's cancer treatment
By Gary Heatly
Ever since Ella Cromack first picked up a rugby ball aged eight, her dad Simon has been her biggest supporter.
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And since Simon was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Brain Tumour in November 2023, Ella, her mum Steff, and her sister Nelle have been his biggest supporters.
Now, Cromack, the Harlequins and England under-20 playmaker, is getting ready to take on an epic fundraising kicking challenge with him at the forefront of her mind.
On May 30 at the Twickenham Stoop, Cromack, who recently turned 20, is aiming to kick 1611 conversions in 24 hours, with the number representing the date that Simon received his diagnosis.
The money raised will help to continue funding the treatments for Simon which are currently working and helping to prolong his life.
Glioblastoma is an incurable form of cancer, but there are treatments available outside of the NHS where the chances of extending life expectancy are dramatically improved, and Simon already travels to Cologne in Germany at regular intervals.
These treatments include immunotherapy, which has been proven to extend life by stimulating or restoring the immune response against cancer cells.
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Another treatment is Optune, which uses alternating electrical fields to pulse through the scalp and disrupt tumour cell division or cause cell death. These prevent the tumour from growing or spreading so quickly.
“Dad used to play rugby, so I was always around the sport growing up and I first got involved in playing at Newbury Rugby Club when I was eight,” Cromack said.
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“From my first training session, I think dad was delighted that I was getting involved in the sport that he loved so much, and I began to love it too.
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“He used to coach back then, while he has been on the sidelines right from those junior days when I played with the boys through to my time with Reading RFC, my time at the City of Oxford College and then going on to play for Quins and England age-grade teams.
“Dad has always been a great support to me and has always been a trusted sounding board when it comes to my rugby, so when he received his diagnosis in late 202,3 it really hit myself and the rest of the family hard.
“However, the resilience he has shown since then has been something else and it has really inspired me. He is the strongest person I know.
“I know how much of a buzz he gets from seeing me do well on the rugby field and that drives me on and what he is going through has also driven me on to take on this kicking fundraiser.”
Simon, now 52, who was a second-row who played for a number of teams back in the day, including Henley Hawks and Oxfordshire, said: “Watching Ella’s rugby journey since she was that young girl playing at Newbury has been amazing for me and my wife Steff.
“The hard work that she has put in to get to where she is now has been truly wonderful, and seeing her out there on the pitch doing her thing with a smile on her face really makes me smile too.
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“Since my diagnosis, watching her play has become that little bit more special for me too, because when I am in the stands watching her, it is almost like I forget what I am going through for 80 minutes and it helps me to switch off a bit and just focus on the rugby.
“Rugby has also given her great friends and a great support network, and I know the other players and staff at Harlequins and with the England under-20s have helped her process things since my diagnosis and I am thankful for that, it really is an amazing sport.”
So, how did the idea for the upcoming kickathon – called ‘Give Simon Time’ – come about then?
“I was thinking of something a bit different that I could do to help dad and raise awareness and funds and I read about for All Black legend Dan Carter’s kicking challenge,” Cromack explained.
“A few years ago, at Eden Park in Auckland, he kicked 1,598 conversions to mirror the number of Test points that he scored to raise money for Unicef.
“That piqued my interest as I wanted the challenge to be rugby based given dad and myself love the sport so much and then I started planning the Give Simon Time event.
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“Ever since that day, everyone at Quins, at England under-20 and in the wider rugby family have been so supportive as have dad, mum and Nelle.
“I will be kicking between 12pm on Friday, May 30 and 12pm on Saturday, May 31, and there are obviously quite a lot of logistics around it and quite a heavy load on my body.
“The medics and S & C staff have been helping me to best plan for that load and I will be kicking around 70 per cent of the time with my right foot and 30 per cent of the time with my left foot.
“It is certainly something different, but I am looking forward to it.”
On the challenge, Simon said: “I am used to watching Ella play for 80 minutes, so watching her kick for 24 hours will be a bit different, but I am excited to get down to the Twickenham Stoop with Steff and Nelle and cheer her on.
“And if there is anyone that can rise to a challenge like this, it is Ella because she has had ups and downs in her rugby career before, but she is so determined and I am just in awe of what she is doing to fundraise for me.
“As a family, things have changed since my diagnosis of course, but that ‘get up and get on’ attitude that we all have has not, and I am very proud of Ella taking on this challenge.”
Harlequins will be opening the doors at the Stoop for people to head along and cheer Ella on during her challenge, with exact timings and details to be announced by the club soon.
To find out more about Ella’s Give Simon Time fundraising kicking challenge, CLICK HERE where you can donate.
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