3:00pm Saturday 13th March 2010
The family of a brave teenager who died recently after battling cancer is hoping to publish her poetry to give hope and help to other ill youngsters.
Shelley-Louise Harries, of Narberth, was only 16 when she lost her fight against the disease in January.
During her treatment, she put pen to paper to set down her feelings on her illness and people’s perception of her.
“It’s heartbreaking to read her poems,” said her mother Beverley.
“But they are so good, and have so much feeling in them, that we are hoping to get them published to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. We know they will help other teenagers in the same situation.”
In one of her poems, Shelley-Louise urged people to take a moment to appreciate their day-to-day life.
Shelley-Louise — known to her family as Shelz — was a bright and bubbly girl who loved performing, singing, sport and joining in community events in Narberth, where at the age of 12 she became town crier, the youngest-ever in Britain.
She adored her younger sisters, Shannon, aged 15 and five-year-old Tiegan, who have joined their mum and dad Paul and a host of family and friends in channelling their grief into fundraising to honour the memory of a courageous young woman.
During Shelley’s illness, an amazing £10,227.28 was raised for the Welsh children’s cancer charity, Latch, through a fundraising evening at the Snooty Fox, Martletwy and a 5k run from Templeton to Narberth.
Donations following her funeral already amount to more than £1,000 and will be given to the Teenage Cancer Trust, in recognition of the care that she received at the University of Wales Hospital, Cardiff.
She was the first patient on the teenage cancer ward during her treatment for anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.
“We aren’t going to stop there,” said Beverley, of Station Road, Narberth.
“A group of friends will be running the Cardiff half-marathon this year, and next year I’m planning to take part as well. It will be the year I turn 40, and Shelz would be 18, so we want to do something positive to mark it.
“Shelz touched a lot of people in her short life, and everyone is keen to do all they can to keep her memory alive.”
Anyone who would like to help Shelley’s family with fundraising or publishing her poems can contact them on 01834 869150.
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