Seven-year-old Sol is taking on a big challenge to help children with cancer following his own cancer diagnosis, aged five.

Sport-loving Sol lives in Nottinghamshire with his mum and dad – Alicia and Ed, and older brother – Josiah.

The fit and active family take part in a range of sports, with Sol enjoying cycling, running and rugby.

When Sol was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2023 it came as a big shock.

“He developed a lump on the right side of his neck,” explains Alicia. “It was initially thought to be an infected lymph node but when it didn’t respond to antibiotics he had an ultrasound which indicated a mass. This was followed by a biopsy and then a worrying wait to have the diagnosis confirmed.

“It was a shock and we were obviously very worried. I knew Josiah especially would be worried about his brother and it was hard to know how to talk to both boys about it. Our medical team were excellent giving us advice on how to talk to the children and explain what was happening in an honest but age-appropriate way.

“Sadly, we have quite a lot of family experience of cancer, not all of whom had positive outcomes. It was particularly difficult when Josiah asked me if Sol was going to die. Explaining that Sol had children’s cancer helped him to understand that it was different to the cancer our other family members had had.”

PASIC supported Sol and his family during his treatment at Nottingham Children’s Hospital with treats on the ward. The family also enjoyed a trip to Alton Towers and the PASIC Christmas Party.

Thankfully, Sol’s treatment went well. “He was lucky that he managed to stay pretty fit and active throughout,” says Alicia. “There was no lasting effects from his treatments and he has been able to get back to usual seven-year-old things. He is still seen regularly by his consultant to check on his overall health, but if you didn’t know him before treatment, you would never guess what he had been through.”

Now that Sol’s treatment is finished, he’s back to competing in cyclocross, recently coming 4th in a local league under 9s event. He also regularly takes part in Parkrun and plays rugby for a local team.

He’s now taking on a 30-mile cycling challenge to raise money for PASIC.

“While Sol was having treatment, his brother completed the same bike ride to raise money for a charity who supported a close family friend with cancer. When we asked Sol if he wanted to participate in the ride this year he said ‘yes’ and asked if he could raise money for PASIC.

“He knows how it feels to be stuck in hospital and to look forward to a visit from PASIC with the possibility of some treats, toys or games. While really active, 30 miles will still be a challenge for Sol as he has never cycled that far. He is training hard and will have lots of support along the way as his brother, uncle and some friends are also taking part. There will probably be one or two pub stops along the way too for a lemonade and some chips!”

To support Sol’s cycling challenge visit his fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sol-mosley-1