Student Arabella McNees leads purple fundraiser in support of little brother with brain cancer

The first official 24-minute Relay for Life went off without a hitch at Howrah Primary School. Find out why this 11-year-old and her friends organised the event.

Howrah Primary School students will lead other students in a 24 minute walk – a smaller version of the Cancer Council's Relay for Life, Lucy Ahmed- Zeki, 11, Florence Verdouw, 10, Arabella McNees, 11, Zoe Tyrrell, 11 and Zoe Hanlon, 11. Picture: Chris Kidd

More than 700 Howrah Primary School students dressed in purple took to the oval to walk behind Arabella McNees and her “village” of support.

“I wanted to raise awareness for my brother and let the school know that it [cancer] happens all around us,” the 11 year-old said.

Arabella’s 9-year-old brother George has spent most of his life battling an aggressive form of brain cancer.

This has meant Arabella has had to move away from her friends to Melbourne with her family three times while George underwent treatment.

She said it was important for people to know the effects of cancer are far-reaching.

“It doesn’t just impact the person with cancer, it impacts everyone who knows them,” Arabella said.

George, 9, and Arabella McNees, 11, ahead of the 24 minute Relay for Life Arabella organised in support of her brother. Picture: Chris Kidd

The “tutu crew” – Arabella and her four best friends Lucy Ahmed-Zeki, Florence Verdouw, Zoe Tyrell and Zoe Hanlon – organised the schools first 24-minute relay for life and got every class in the school involved in spreading awareness and fundraising.

Howrah Primary School Principal Sue Bullen said the walk would become an annual event for the school.

The scaled down version of the Relay For Life aims to involve young people who can’t commit to the full 24-hour event.

Arabella and her friends have been organising the event for the past five weeks and spoke at last week’s school assembly reminding pupils to wear purple for the walk.

The 24-minute Relay for Life is a Cancer Council Initiative – with Howrah Primary marking the first official walk.

The girl’s fundraising efforts netted a total of $810 for the Cancer Council.

George joined his sister and his classmates for the walk on his week break from treatment.

He undergoes treatment for 21 days straight before getting a week at a time off, where he comes back to school for a couple of hours each day.

This year the siblings have been on the same playground together for the first time.

Originally published as Student Arabella McNees leads purple fundraiser in support of little brother with brain cancer