Young rider’s efforts to support friend diagnosed with rare cancer thanks to her horse

A young rider who overcame a major medical trauma, with her pony’s help, is organising a show to raise funds for another young rider with a very rare cancer – which she believes her own horse helped diagnose.

Eleanor Bloor, who broke her back in 2018, aged 11, when a heavy door fell on her, and was most motivated to recover by the thought of riding again, is running the Happy Halloween showjumping event at Field House Equestrian on Sunday (13 October). The aim is to help Libby Dodes, whose family is trying to raise £300,000 to treat the small cell ovarian cancer she was diagnosed with last year, aged 22.

Eleanor told H&H she had to organise an equestrian event as part of her BTEC college course. She was initially planning to do something small but when she found out about Libby, a fellow member of the Meynell branch of the Pony Club, she wanted to do as much as she could.

“It would be great to raise £5,000 but I’d be very happy with £4,000,” Eleanor said. “It’s open to everyone; I want to spread the word as much as I can.”

The event page on Facebook details the classes that will run, entry details, and the “fantastic” prizes on offer in classes and the raffle. All proceeds will go to Libby’s GoFundMe, which has raised over £100,000 of the £300,000 needed for immunotherapy.

Libby’s mother Vanessa told H&H the family’s lives changed for ever when Libby fell from her horse Coco, almost a year ago.

“We were at Eland Lodge on the Tuesday, we’d hired it for arena eventing, and Coco overjumped and Libby fell off but got straight back up,” Vanessa said. “On the Sunday, we went back there to compete and Coco did exactly the same thing. But this time Libby didn’t get back up.”

Libby was taken to hospital with a suspected fractured pelvis but scans revealed a very large mass in her abdomen.

“We both believe Coco knew,” Vanessa said. “She tried on the Tuesday, then on the Sunday it worked. If Libby hadn’t fallen and been taken to hospital, I don’t think she’d be here now.”

The initial plan was to operate to remove the mass but doctors said it was attached to so many organs, surgery was too risky. In November, the diagnosis of the very rare, and often aggressive, small cell ovarian cancer was confirmed.

Having been asked by doctors to research the cancer herself, Libby contacted specialists across the world and a treatment plan of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy was agreed. It is the immunotherapy that needs to be funded.

The fundraising page is online

“You can get it here but nothing’s funded for this type of cancer as there’s no regime for it, because it’s so rare,” Vanessa said. “But it will give Libby the best chance to fight off any further cancer that might come back in the future.”

Vanessa praised her “remarkable” daughter, who has never raged or cried about the hand she has been dealt.

“She’s so brave, and so strong,” Vanessa said. “We both say our horses are our therapy, because you’ve got to get up in the morning and do them. People ask how she does it but she does it because she loves it, and it’s her medicine.”

Vanessa thanked all those who have raised the huge sum already on the page, as well as Field House for donating its facilities. The Meynell branch is also supporting the event, Eland Lodge is running a fundraising arena eventing competition on 20 October, and thousands of others have donated money and prizes.

“We’ve been blown away by the equestrian family and the things they’ve done for us,” Vanessa said. “For people to do what they’ve done; it’s brought us back in touch with people we’d lost contact with. There have been positives, and that support has helped us get through the dark days.”

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