Dr Luke Evans, the Member of Parliament for Bosworth, has highlighted the case of constituent Isla Tansey, who died from incurable cancer DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) during a debate in Parliament calling for better use of funding for childhood cancers. The survival rate for DIPG is 0%.
Isla, aged 7, was diagnosed with the condition in January 2018. She loved decorating stones and giving them to her friends to photograph, post on social media using the hashtag #islastones, and rehide.
Her campaign, which provided a great deal of happiness towards the end of Isla’s life in August 2018 drew international media attention, over 75,000 Facebook followers, and a lasting legacy for her. In July 2019 a Guinness World Record was set in Hinckley in memory of Isla for ‘the largest display of painted pebbles /stones’ with 8,542 stones being displayed together at one time.
Speaking in the debate Dr Luke highlighted how Isla’s illness had inspired her parents, Simon and Katherine, to establish the Islastones Foundation – a charity founded to ‘raise smiles and help fight childhood cancer’.
Dr Luke said “I am reminded of the quote ‘Your life is your message, make sure it’s inspiring’, Isla’s message truly was that, and I hope the Government’s message of DIPG is the same.”
Isla’s mum, Katherine, said after the debate “We would like to say thank you to Luke for telling Isla’s story at the debate, we were incredibly moved by the stories of all the children lost to DIPG.
“It highlighted effectively the fate that we and so many other families face when their children are diagnosed with DIPG, the monster of monsters of all cancers. It drove home how desperate the plight is for all our children and the massive need for change. Moving forwards we, like so many families across the world, really hope this will be the start of better government investments into aggressive childhood cancer research and treatments.”
