2025 Winner
GEORGIE HYSLOP
Inspirational cancer patient has channelled her energy into helping others and raised an incredible £51,000 despite her condition.
In December 2023, when she was 15, Georgie went to the doctor with leg pain and they initially thought it was a stress fracture.
The fracture wasn’t healing and, after an MRI and CT scan, she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma – a rare cancer which occurs in the bones or in the soft tissue around them.
Determined not to let cancer get the better of her, Georgie immediately looked to help others by agreeing to donate her tissue to Cancer Research and vowing to fundraise.
In the months after her diagnosis she raised more than £15,000 for the Schiehallion Ward at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, the Teenage Cancer Trust and Marion’s House.
Throughout her treatment, which included 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation, Georgie never stopped thinking of ways to help others and continued to organise family fundays, raffles and a ball. During her time at Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Georgie would give out ‘pocket hugs’ to the other patients who were waiting on scans or treatment, and even dressed up as SpiderMan to cheer up a four-year-old receiving radiation treatment.
In July 2024, Georgie was given the news she was in remission but earlier this year scans revealed her cancer had returned.
Despite the cruel twist of fate, the smiley schoolgirl is continuing to raise money for others and to date has raised more than £51,000. Georgie, 16, from Ardrossan, who is hoping to start an acting course in September, said: “The survival rates for Ewing Sarcoma are single digits but I’ve always said I will be one of those digits. I don’t see why I can’t be. “At one point I was told I might lose my leg but I just said then I’ll get a blade and I will go to the Olympics and if I do lose it in the future I can just cut one leg off my jeans.
“My main aim is to help others going through the same thing. Hospital can be a scary place so I just wanted to find a way to make the experience a little better by either fundraising or raising a smile.”
She added: “Yes my cancer has returned but you just have to keep going. I have lots of fundraising planned and lots to look forward to.”
Georgie’s mum Lynn said: “Throughout all of the ups and downs Georgie has remained so positive and hasn’t stopped fundraising. To be told that she was no longer in remission was a big deal but Georgie being Georgie took control of the situation, gave herself a buzz cut and just carried on. She is a true inspiration and we are in awe of her courage.”