News / Health
4,000-mile fundraiser to launch for daughter of Bristol City Academy coach
A 4,000-mile fundraiser challenge will kick off on Wednesday to raise money for the daughter of a Bristol City Academy coach, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.
11-year-old Dixie Gerken, whose dad is former Bristol City goalkeeper Dean Gerken, was initially diagnosed with bone cancer in 2024 when she was just nine.
Two years later, after extensive surgery and chemotherapy, a routine check-up found the disease had returned and spread to her lungs.
Now step-grandmother Yvonne Brierley and her partner Simon are launching a fitness challenge to raise money for Dixie’s treatment.
With the help of friends at The Fitness Lodge in Leigh-on-Sea, they will aim to walk, run and cycle 4,144 miles in just one month over the course of July.
That’s the distance between Leigh-on-Sea and Delhi, where Dixie is being treated after her parents decided that was the best option on offer.
Brierley said the gym community has rallied round to help the family – photo: The Fitness Lodge
“Obviously it’s a very difficult time,” said Brierley.
“Initially it was the shock of it coming back when life had kind of got back to normal for them. She’d gone back to school; she was living the normal life for a ten-, 11-year-old.
“But what it did do was bring the whole family together again. You have to take the positives.”
The extended family, which is split between Bristol and Essex, has helped out across the board.
“There’s been lots of fundraisers in Bristol and the community has pulled together there,” said Brierley.
“It’s amazing because we only started talking about (our fundraiser) about three weeks ago. It’s a small, very close community in the gym so the community is definitely rallying round.”
The fitness challenge has so far raised £1,580, with a third of that coming from a single £500 donation.
Main photo: GoFundMe
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
