Brave boy Alfie who is just three and smiles through chemo, leukaemia and Down's Syndrome

A man from Sheffield will be running 200 miles in just three days after being inspired by the “smile and bravery” of a three-year-old boy battling leukaemia.

Lee Freeman, a life coach, will be completing the mammoth run around Rother Valley Country Park ‘for Alfie’ between Wednesday, May 29 and Saturday, June 1 in order to raise money for Footprints charity.

Lee has been inspired by the bravery, toughness and constant positive attitude of Alfie Mitchell, who has down’s syndrome and is currently fighting Leukaemia. Lee said: “The amount of pain I could put myself through completing this challenge doesn’t compare to what Alfie and his family are going through.”

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Lee, 43, has been friends with Alfie’s dad, Chris Mitchell, for several years. “I have a 5-year-old boy, Logan, and as a parent you can’t imagine what they’re going through and how you would feel if that was your child,” Lee explained.

“Despite everything that Alfie’s going through he’s got so much grit, so much resilience. He’s still smiling every single day in spite of chemo, leukaemia and down's syndrome.

“People have spoken to me about how tough the challenge is going to be, but the pain I could go through completing the challenge is nothing compared to what Alfie goes through every day and yet he still does it with a smile on his face.

“It’s a message that a three-year-old, who’s going through Leukaemia, could teach millions of grown adults. He doesn’t know any different, so he approaches life with a smile and that’s the way it is.

“There are so many adults that express huge amounts of self pity that are going through one percent of what a three-year-old is going through with a smile on his face. I think so many people could take from that and learn from it.”

Chris, 39, from Nottinghamshire, explained that he and his partner were “devastated” when they received the news that Alfie had Leukaemia last November. “It was a very difficult day,” Chris said. “They expected that he had meningitis or sepsis so were treating him for that, but the diagnosis we received was much worse.”

Since receiving the diagnosis, Alfie has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottinghamshire. The initial treatment impacted him severely and Alfie suffered from paralysed vocal chords. The family spent Christmas in intensive care with the three-year-old, whilst also looking after his 5-year-old brother Teddy.

Alfie’s leukaemia is classed as higher risk because he also has down’s syndrome. As a result, he was eligible for a new clinical trial drug, which he started being treated with in January.

Chris has now been told that Alfie is now in remission, but there’s still a long-road ahead for the family as he is not expected to finish chemotherapy treatment until January 2026. Chris said: “We’re delighted but we’re still not out of the woods yet. It’s great that the treatments are working and that the leukaemia is responding because that isn’t the case for all children so we feel very fortunate.

“He’s a tough little guy and Alfie’s doing everything he can to keep it at bay.”

Inspired by Alfie’s bravery and ongoing determination, Lee will be fundraising money for Footprints Conductive Education Centre, a Nottingham based charity which also cares for children from across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

Alfie has attended the centre for the past two and a half years. Staff there have helped Alfie develop his fine and gross motor skills. And while he has been unable to attend since being diagnosed with leukaemia, the Footprints family of parents have continued to support Alfie and his family during their lengthy hospital stays.

Chris said: “We have calculated that Lee will do 500,000 footsteps during his run, so doing it for a charity that helps support children to take their first steps seemed like a perfect choice.”

It is the second time Lee has attempted a charity run around the Rotherham park, but this time he is doubling the distance. Last year, Lee ran 102 miles in memory of John Bennett, 13, and Lacey Bennett, 11, who tragically lost their lives alongside their mother and a friend at their home in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in 2021.

Lee, a friend of John and Lacey's father Jason Bennett, managed 34 laps of the country park with only 20 minutes of sleep during the challenge. He raised over £6,800 for Youth Cancer Trust - a charity which the children had raised money for shortly before they died.

Lee, who has undergone a gruelling five month training programme in preparation for the challenge, estimates it will take him 72 hours to complete the 200 mile run for Alfie. He has factored in four separate one-hour naps into the time limit - but for the other 68 hours, he will be continuously running.

And even if he reaches the 200 mile goal before the time is up, he won’t be stopping there. “If I complete it early, then I’ll be carrying on running, so I might end up completing more than 200 miles.

“It’s impossible to say - but that’s why I’m so excited about the challenge. I believe if you know how to achieve a goal and you 100 percent know how to do it, then the goal isn't big enough and it’s not exciting enough to get you to do the work.

“Right up to this moment, I still have no idea whether I’ll end up running 200 miles, or more, or how long it will take me - all I do know is that I will give it my everything.”

With a huge distance ahead of him, Lee explained he will be thinking of his mum at times when the run becomes difficult. He said: “My mum died when I was six months old so she never got to do any of this. But she’s living on through me and she’ll be looking down watching, so I want to make her proud.

“I can’t imagine how they feel (Alfie and Chris) each day. But all I know is, whatever pain I feel going through that run, it’s not as much as what they’re going through - and that’s what will inspire me to keep going.”

So far, Lee has raised over £3,500 of his £5,000 fundraising goal. “Hopefully that number keeps going up,” he said. “Every single pound is going to help a child live a happier life, and that’s a big thing that will help to get me through the challenge.”

And Lee isn’t just hoping to help support Alfie and Footprints - by completing the challenge he hopes to inspire the wider community to be more grateful for what they have and to focus on the positives. “I believe gratitude is a prerequisite for life,” he explained.

“If everyone could be grateful for what they do have and live in the moment, rather than focusing on what they don’t have then everyone would live happier lives.

“It’s all about perception. Look at Alfie - he’s not moaning about the fact that he’s got down's syndrome or that he can’t walk, or that he's got cancer, or that he’s in hospital. He’s just fighting because he has no option to do anything but fight.”

Depending on how he feels, Chris is planning on taking Alfie along to see Lee complete the challenge. Chris will also be joining Lee to run alongside him as he crosses the finish line.

To find out more about Lee’s fundraising and to donate, click here. For further information about Footprints and the work they do, click here.

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