Liam Fairhurst (born 26 February 1995, died in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England on 1 July 2009) was a British fundraiser, who died of synovial sarcoma[1], a rare form of cancer. He was diagnosed with the disease in his leg in 2005.
Liam started charity work after his friend, Jack Wilkinson, died of cancer in 2006, aged 12. Liam decided to raise money for a holiday home in Yorkshire for families living with childhood cancer. Barely able to walk, he began fundraising with a one-mile swim in 2006.[2]
In 2007 Liam's condition became incurable. Although he underwent years of rigorous treatment for the disease, all the while he contunued tirelessly campaigning for fundraising to improve lives of other children with cancer, through children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent, but eventually succumbed to the illness himself. He had collected almost £320,000, mainly for CLIC Sargent.
Liam's courage impressed and inspired millions including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his wife Sarah Brown. The Prime Minister declared: "“Liam was a courageous young man who showed immense bravery in the face of his illness. It was a privilege to meet him - his dedication as a fundraiser was an encouragement to us all and I am very proud of what Liam achieved. His courage will be a continuing inspiration to all those that knew him. My thoughts are with his family at this sad time."[3]