THE PARENTS of a boy from Poole who lost his battle with cancer three years ago are urging the public to join them on a charity walk in his memory.

Soon after celebrating his 18th birthday, Lucas Dennett was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December 2017.

Despite the best efforts of the doctors and nurses on the Durlston Ward at Poole Hospital, Lucas passed away nine months later.

In August 2017, his older brother Alex, 22, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He underwent a gruelling course of chemotherapy, only for the cancer to return in December 2018, with Alex requiring a stem cell transplant.

Alex is now recovering.

Lucas and Alex’s mother and stepfather, Clare and Simon Blissett, are now focused on raising as much money as possible for Leukaemia Educating and Fundraising, or LEAF, the charity that have supported them closely.

Simon, 44, said: “I can’t put into words what LEAF has done for our family. The charity has helped to rebuild our shattered lives.

“Life will always be different for us now but thanks to LEAF we can smile, laugh and remember the good times, which is something we never thought we’d be able to do.

The couple are midway through their training for the Isle of Wight Challenge in May, where they’ll walk 106km non-stop around the entire coastline of the island to raise money for Dorset-based charity LEAF.

“Clare and I want to do all we can to raise as much money as possible for LEAF,” Simon added.

“The work they do makes a huge difference to those people going through the hell of leukaemia and other forms of blood cancers.

“That’s why I want as many people as possible to join us and take on the Isle of Wight Challenge in support of LEAF.”

Participants can take on the full challenge of 106km in one go or complete it over two days.

Alternatively, they can take part in the half challenge of around 50km, or even the 25km quarter challenge.

LEAF supports blood cancer patients across Dorset and Hampshire.

The charity’s founder, Natasha Hunt, herself a leukaemia survivor, worked closely with the the family during Lucas’s nine month battle with Leukaemia and Alex’s battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Having completed the full challenge last year in aid of The Teenage Cancer Trust, Simon wants to repeat his efforts and raise even more money for Leukaemia Educating and Fundraising.

Talking about his experience last year, Simon said: “It was a great experience – incredibly challenging, but so rewarding. Crossing the finishing line was such an emotional moment, knowing I’d done it for Lucas.

“I promised him I’d raise £1million for charity, and I would love as many people as possible to join me on this walk, all raising money together in memory of our amazing son Lucas.”

To sign up to the challenge and join Simon’s team to raise funds for LEAF, visit www.isleofwightchallenge.com.

If you can’t join Simon and Clare for the Isle of Wight Challenge, but you still want to support them, you can sponsor them at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-blissett7.