A STEVENSTON couple will be walking a combined one million steps this month, as they look to give back to the charities that have helped them through their son’s cancer battle.

Sean Galloway, 16, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia back in April, and has been “doing great” according to mum Catherine Boner.

She, along with partner Steven Galloway, have been by Sean’s side every step of the way, but that may not have been possible if not for the help of some fantastic charities.

Sean was receiving treatment in Glasgow’s Royal Children’s Hospital, with only one parent allowed to stay each night.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Marion’s House, near the Glasgow Royal Children’s Hospital where Catherine and Steven often stayedMarion’s House, near the Glasgow Royal Children’s Hospital where Catherine and Steven often stayed

With only Steven able to drive, he would have been left to travel up and down every day, as he and Catherine took it in turns to stay with their son.

However, the couple then found out about Marion’s House, somewhere they could both stay while Sean was treated, only five minutes from the hospital.

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Marion’s House is run by charities Young Lives Vs Cancer and CLIC Sergeant, and Catherine couldn’t be more grateful for them.

She told the Herald: “The support we were given from them, and to realise it was just run by a charity, it was amazing.

“I never knew how amazing all these charities were, I didn’t know about them, because obviously I’ve never experienced this before.

“I’m going to continue to raise awareness and raise money because no one would know about these charities unless they were in this situation.”

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Catherine hopes to raise awareness of the charitiesCatherine hopes to raise awareness of the charities

Both Catherine and Sean are going to use their love of walking together to fuel their fund-raising efforts, as they both aim to complete 500,000 steps throughout August, donating the funds raised to Young Lives Vs Cancer.

Catherine commented: “Me and Stephen, we go out walks all the time, so that’s a good starting point.”

She added that this won’t be her last effort to raise funds for such worthy causes, with charities like the Teenage Cancer Trust, who recently took Sean on a trip to Crieff Hydro, also offering so much support.

Sean himself has also said he hopes to give back when he is fit and able to.

Catherine also said she was “so grateful” to her son’s school, St Matthew’s Academy, for their help and support. They ensured Sean could sit his national five exams while in hospital.

She added: “I was always grateful for the NHS, but see when you are actually in a situation where you really need them, it’s amazing.”

To find out more, check out their fund-raising page here.