After finding a lump in her foot, Laura Wakefield was diagnosed in April this year with a rare form of cancer called sarcoma had to have her leg amputated below the knee in May

Colleagues of a Liverpool office worker, who had to have her leg amputated below the knee following the discovery of a rare cancer,  have now raised more than £12,000 for a prosthetic leg.

Three team members from commercial property consultancy GVA competed a skydive to add to the fund for Laura Wakefield.

After finding a lump in her foot, Laura was diagnosed in April this year with a rare form of cancer called sarcoma.

Due to the nature of sarcoma and its rarity, common forms of treatment are unfortunately ineffective, meaning amputation was the only way to stop the cancer spreading.  The operation took place in May.

The skydive was the culmination of a series of fundraising events, which have seen the GVA team raise more than £12,000 for Laura.

Other events included a cheese and wine evening with clients and various fundraising activities across the GVA network of offices.

Jennifer Mallon, Stephen Cowperthwaite and Claire Robinson all took to the skies as part of the campaign, which was set-up to purchase the best possible prosthetic leg for Laura.   

Laura came along on the day to give support, or perhaps to make sure the intrepid trio didn’t back out.  

She said: “To be able to support Jen, Claire and Steve after all they’ve done for me these past few months was amazing.

“By doing this skydive they risked their own lives to help make mine a little better and I couldn’t be more proud and grateful.

“I’m so lucky to have such incredible and courageous friends. The money they have raised will go so far and I can’t thank everybody who donated enough.”   

Regional senior director and head of GVA’s Liverpool office, Stephen Cowperthwaite, said: “After Jen came up with the idea of doing a skydive, in a moment of madness myself and Claire thought it would be a great idea to join in.

“Jumping out of a plane at 10,000 ft was our way of putting our best foot forward.

“We are thrilled to have helped raise funds for Laura, whose attitude has been truly inspirational for everybody, not just in the Liverpool office, but across the GVA network.”

Laura recently became an ambassador of the Amputation Foundation charity, where she’ll work alongside three other young amputees to help promote awareness and support others who have gone through similar experiences.

The charity’s official launch takes place on March 10, 2018, at the Titanic Hotel Liverpool.   

Laura, who has worked at the Liverpool GVA office since 2013, has documented her journey so far on her inspirational blog, Best Foot Forward.   

To donate visit – www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jennifer-mallon