A LLANGEFNI woman who battled cancer and her three children have been spending much of the COVID-19 pandemic raising money and donating goods for various charities and organisations.

Carys Williams gave birth to Gracie (weighing 3lbs and 2oz) three weeks prematurely on September 6, 2020. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer shortly after, and after a year of bravely fighting it, has thankfully been in remission since almost a fortnight ago.

Gracie has been entered into numerous charity pageants, while her two brothers, Mason (eight) and Curtis (seven) have also continued their fundraising efforts throughout the pandemic, having now raised roughly £3,500 in the last four years.

Curtis also was also diagnosed with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and joint hypermobility syndrome during the pandemic.

North Wales Chronicle: Gracie with her Natural Beauty sash and some of the food she and her family have donated. Photo: Carys WilliamsGracie with her Natural Beauty sash and some of the food she and her family have donated. Photo: Carys Williams

Carys, who has also greatly helped with their charity work, said: “The children decided they wanted to raise money for Children’s Cancer and Cancer Research, so that’s why Gracie started doing pageants. Previously, their grandad died of cancer, and their nan died of cancer just before lockdown (in December 2019).

“Curtis has autism, ADHD and hypermobility, so he’s waiting for an operation on his wrists because he can’t use them properly. Doing the charity work through lockdown has helped him overcome bereavement from his nan dying; he was very close to her.

“I like to go out and help people in the community. It helped me overcome barriers with my cancer treatment, and helped me feel like I was giving something back.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive or not; I’m in remission now, thank God, so touch wood, everything will be OK for the future.

“Since the boys were four, they’ve always helped to do things for the community. Curtis gets bullied quite a lot; he was only just diagnosed through lockdown with all his conditions, so we had all of that to deal with as well.”

Carys and her children have also been a constant source of donations to Anglesey Foodbank in Holyhead since last Christmas, while Mason and Curtis have both consistently taken part in the Relay for Life and Race for Life events since they were four.

The boys also raised £1,000 for Cancer Research in a joint effort – Curtis baking cakes, and Mason doing a sponsored walk, an ice bucket challenge and dying his hair blue, the main colour associated with the charity.

They have also helped for patients on the Dulas ward at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor through donating care packs and Easter eggs since the pandemic, while the staff on the ward, one of whom is a friend of Carys’, received thank you cards and Easter eggs for their hard work in the last 18 months.

North Wales Chronicle: A thank you message from the Dulas ward at Ysbyty Gwynedd. Photo: Carys WilliamsA thank you message from the Dulas ward at Ysbyty Gwynedd. Photo: Carys Williams

Gracie’s pageant appearances include Miss Violet Supreme, at which she was a finalist, and she was also crowned ‘Most Charitable’ at Natural Beauty Wales 2021.

Carys added: “We’re helping (food bank co-ordinator) Roy Fyles from the food bank in Holyhead, raising money by doing online raffles, tombolas and cake sales. We’ve been doing appeals since last Christmas and have been taking them food ever since.

“Altogether in the last few years, with my little boys’ and Gracie’s money, we’ve raised £3,500 for charity.

“It was Gracie’s first birthday last Monday (September 6), and then on the Wednesday, I had the all-clear, which was really good news.”