THE mum of a ‘fun-loving’ young woman who lost her battle with kidney and liver disease is planning to walk 1,000 miles over the next year in a bid to raise money for a charity close to her daughter’s heart.
Scarlett O’Keefe, 28, died last month after failing to receive the transplants she needed but her mum, Bev O’Keefe, wants to carry on her legacy by completing the challenge.
Nearly £2,500 has been raised so far, with 57-year-old Bev and her colleague Kath Duffy continuing the challenge Scarlett had set them in an attempt to raise as much money as possible for SAKA, the Sheffield Area Kidney Association - who help and support all kidney patients in the Sheffield and surrounding area.
Bev, of Wortley, said: “When Scarlett was poorly she talked about a number of ways that we can raise funds for her because she wasn’t well enough at the time.
“She challenged me and Kath to walk 1,000 miles in a year and so we thought it would be a nice idea.
“You can do the challenge at any speed you wish, and we’ve worked it out that we have to walk just under three miles a day.”
The pair managed to reach the £1,000 that was set by Kath while Scarlett was alive, something which Bev admits was amazing for her to see.
“There were so many lovely comments that were said on the fundraising page, and it was really nice that she was able to see them,” she added.
“It’s really upsetting that she didn’t get to see how much money we’ve raised so far, but we’re aiming to raise as much as we can in her honour.”
Bev is planning a charity dog walk once lockdown is over, something that Scarlett wanted to do before she died, as she loved dogs.
“Scarlett had her own beagle and she absolutely loved dogs, she was a fun-loving person who had time for everyone,” Bev said.
“She was a beautiful person inside and out, thoughtful, caring and oh so very brave.
“It’s hard to name just a few of her qualities as there were so many.”
Truth 32 - a town centre club on Peel Street formerly known as Stereo - is also trying to raise money in honour of Scarlett, who was a popular figure at the venue.
A club spokesman said: “We thought it would be a nice thing to do as the amount of people that were requesting we do something in Scarlett’s honour blew us away.
“We’ve already done a live DJ stream and we’re planning to do more in the future so we can raise even more for the charity that she’s supporting.
“The first Stereo Sunday event after lockdown will be in her honour, there will be charity buckets on the door and ten per cent of all bar takings will be donated - it’s for a great cause.”
Bev was told about the event and she said: “I think it’s lovely they’re doing that, it’s a great idea and hopefully it does raise some funds.
“Anything that is done in her honour is fantastic.”
If you wish to donate to the fundraising efforts, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kath-duffy.
