A father has been hailed as a 'true hero' for setting off on a 200 mile trip on his daughter's tiny pink bike to raise awareness of the illness that tragically took her life.
Peter Williams, 46, from Penzance, set off from Bristol last Friday and is cycling all the way to Land's End in Cornwall and has raised almost £30,000 in donations so far.
His seven-year-old daughter Ellie died from an incurable highly aggressive Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2015, after being given just six months to live following the devastating diagnosis.
Appearing on Lorraine via video link, Mr Williams spoke of how his family spent the 'precious' last six months of Ellie's life 'having as much fun as possible', as he thanked his supporters for being so generous with their donations.
His story left viewers in 'tears', with one calling him 'the definition of a real hero'.
Peter Williams, 46, from Penzance, is cycling over 200 miles from Bristol to Land's End on his daughter's tiny pink bike (pictured) to raise awareness of the brain tumour that tragically took her life
His seven-year-old daughter Ellie (pictured with Peter) died from an incurable highly aggressive Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2015 after she was given just six months to live
Mr Williams, who is six foot tall, is currently in Newquay on his way to Land's End on his daughter's tiny bicycle. He expects to finish his journey tomorrow.
He and his wife Kaz, who he shares son Joe with, first noticed there was something wrong when Ellie's eye began behaving strangely.
He explained: 'We'd noticed that one of her eyes was behaving in a strange fashion, so we had her eye checked out at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and they said: ''There's nothing wrong with her eyes at all, you need to get an emergency brain scan."
'We were immediately told she had this dreadful brain tumour, but we were lucky in a way because the doctors said she had six months to live, so we had six months of really good precious time with Ellie to pack in as much fun as possible.'
His story left Lorraine viewers on Twitter in 'tears' (pictured), with one calling him 'the definition of a real hero'
Mr Williams is completing the ride to raise awareness of the condition and the symptoms, which the family hadn't known were signs of Ellie's tumour.
He said he was trying not to think about the loss of his daughter as it was taking a lot for him to concentrate on the road.
He explained: 'I've really enjoyed the ride. I have got a lot of time on my own but I have also got to really concentrate to ride this bike.
'You've got to be on the ball. There's not too much time for thinking about things, it's concentrating on the riding.'
He and his wife Kaz, who he shares son Joe with, first noticed there was something wrong when Ellie's eye was behaving strangely. They later realised it wasn't her eyes but a terminal brain tumour. Pictured: Mr Williams and his wife Kaz with Ellie and their son Joe
He spoke of how his family spent the 'precious' last six months of Ellie's life 'having as much fun as possible'. Pictured: Mr Williams appearing on Lorraine over video link from Cornwall
Mr Williams admitted that he didn't expect such a huge response to his bike ride, but has been inundated with messages of support and donations.
He continued: 'When I set off to do this I was expecting quite a low-key ride and maybe raise a few thousand pounds but word has got around.
'Everywhere I go people toot their horns or come up to me and give me a donation, offering support and being very generous all the way along. It's been absolutely fantastic.'
But he did admit that the intense ride on such a small bike was taking its toll.
Mr Williams said he was trying not to think about the loss of his daughter (pictured) as it was taking a lot for him to concentrate on the road
He admitted that the intense ride on such a small bike was taking its toll, as he said his 'bum is starting to hurt'. Pictured: Mr Williams on Ellie's bike (right) and Lorraine Kelly (left)
'I'm on day seven now and my bum is starting to hurt,' he said.
'But the rest of me is doing remarkably well. I'm doing my stretches in the evening and having a nice soak in the bath so I'm really pleased. I've still got a few more miles to go so I'm not going to get too confident but it's looking pretty good.'
Dozens of Lorraine viewers took to Twitter to praise Mr Williams' determination.
One tweeted: 'What a fantastic guy! Riding his late daughters little bike to raise money for brain tumour charity. Good luck Peter.'
'The definition of a real hero,' another posted.
To find out more about Peter's story or to donate to The Brain Tumour Charity go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thelittlepinkbike
WHAT IS DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG)?
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour that can't be operated on because of it's location within a crucial part of the brain, called the pons.
This area is responsible for a number of critical bodily functions, such as breathing, sleeping and blood pressure.
The high-grade brain tumour, which mostly affects children, tends to grow quickly and often spreads to other parts of the brain or spinal cord.
Most diagnoses occur in youngsters between the ages of five and 10. The cause of the tumour remains unknown.
More than 90 per cent of its victims will die within 18 months of diagnosis, according to figures.
Each year, there are around 100 to 150 new diagnoses in the US. In the UK, it strikes between 20 and 30 each year.
Symptoms include lack of facial control, double vision, headaches, vomiting, weakness, seizures and balance problems.
One of the early indicators of the cancer is a child falling, tripping or losing balance.
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https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/27/hero-dad-cycles-on-his-late-daughters-bike-to-raise-money-for-the-brain-tumour-charity/
Main photo article A father has been hailed as a ‘true hero’ for setting off on a 200 mile trip on his daughter’s tiny pink bike to raise awareness of the illness that tragically took her life.
Peter Williams, 46, from Penzance, set off from Bristol last Friday and is cycling all the way to...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
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