Kiera takes on half marathon to celebrate her fight back from leukaemia

Raising funds for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Ward

Glamorgan Star news 02/09/2026

3 minutes read

A 21-year-old biology student is taking on the Cardiff Half Marathon to raise money for a charity that helped save her life.

Kiera Hodges was just 14 when she was diagnosed with leukaemia. Since ringing the bell four years ago, she now plans on running the Cardiff Half Marathon to raise money for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Ward – the place that saw her through her treatment and recovery.

**| Kiera Hodges with parents Tim and Andrea.**

Kiera said: “Just before going into year-10 in August 2019, I started getting headaches and then developed a pain in my hip. I felt very fatigued but at first doctors just thought I was anaemic.

In January 2020, an emergency doctor’s appointment and blood test sent Kiera straight to A&E for further tests. The following day, she was rushed to Noah’s Ark Children’s Ward.

Kiera said: “I was found to have a Philadelphia chromosome – a gene abnormality that forces cancer cells to grow and divide – which meant my treatment plan would need to be severe.”

She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and needed targeted chemotherapy. She was in hospital for 10 days before being allowed back home but 18 days later she was back for her next round of chemo.

“During this time, I had shaved my head. My hair had started falling out and was getting difficult to brush. It helped make me feel like I still had a bit of control over what was happening to me. I then got a wig from the Little Princess Trust.”

Kiera, from Porthcawl, needed to undergo specialised high strength chemotherapy, which made her very unwell. It resulted in her contracting several blood infections as well as blood clots in her lungs.

She said: “I needed to stop chemo multiple times to let me heal from all the infections I was getting. It was a constant toss-up between which was more important. At one point they also thought I had a flesh-eating disease and were considering amputating my leg, but thankfully they put their trust in antibiotics and that wasn’t needed.

“I then developed mucositis – painful ulcers in my digestive tract – and needed a colostomy bag fitted to try and let the ulcers heal. I needed that for a year but didn’t get on with it as the oral chemotherapy I was on burned my skin and made it raw, making it incredibly painful with the sticky bag. When I finally had the procedure reversed, I was able to go to my school prom and was given an award for being the bravest student. However, a month later, my bowels had perforated and I needed the stoma back in for another three months.”

Finally, in May 2022, Kiera could ring the bell to mark the end of her treatment. She now just needs to wait a couple more years before she can say she’s cancer free.

Over the two years while she was in and out of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, Kiera celebrated her 15th and 16th birthdays and said the nurses helped make the day special with banners, balloons and cake.

**| Kiera celebrating her birthday with Noah’s Ark nurses.**

She will now be taking on the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday, 4th October to raise money for Noah’s Ark.

Kiera said: “My parents, Tim and Andrea, were amazing and I can only describe them as biggest advocates and I tell them that whenever I can. I can never tell them how lucky I am to have them as my parents.”

She added: “The hardest part of my journey was how the physical aspect of myself was taken away. Prior to becoming ill, I was a dancer, but in hospital I had to relearn how to walk two separate times because of losing muscle mass, being bed bound and the issues I had with my leg and foot.

“I’m not someone who takes no for answer and wanted to prove to myself that the Cardiff Half Marathon was something I could do – while also doing something for a good cause too.”

To donate to Kiera’s fundraising page go to: cardiffhalf26.enthuse.com/pf/kiera-hodges

News, Letters, Sport and advertising are welcomed by the Glamorgan Star – the largest newspaper or magazine in the Vale of Glamorgan. Contact us today here.