An autistic woman raised thousands of pounds by holding a 24-hour DJ marathon in honour of her grandmother who died from cancer.
Alex Foley of Knebworth Avenue in Walthamstow lost her grandmother – Margaret – to liver cancer in 2019.
So far, £3,200 has been raised from the online fundraiser, held from 6pm on July 15 to 6pm on July 16.
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All proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Support, the charity that helped Margaret and still supports Alex with her grief.
Alex, 27, said DJing has helped her deal with the loss of her grandmother, whom she was incredibly close with.
She said: “The relationship with my nanny was always special.
“When I was growing up, I never had any friends. I struggled to make friends and I was with nanny a lot.
“My grandparents looked after me and made me happy. I was the happiest person you would ever find with my nanny.”
It was nanny Margaret who encouraged Alex to DJ when she was younger.
Alex said: “She always said I should be a DJ. I always had a love for music.
“Whenever a gathering was at home, I was always the person to play the music.
“I’m autistic. Someone can play a song and I will know it straight away.”
Alex, who is a healthcare assistant at Whipps Cross Hospital, would play music to her followers on Facebook when she had days off during the Covid-19 lockdown.
She said: “It was difficult working through Covid and grieving for my grandmother.
“Music was my outlet. When I am having a bad grieving day, I get on my decks and play music.
“Music is my happy place, it reminds me of my nan.”
A wide range of music was played throughout the marathon, which saw people join the live stream in the middle of the night.
Alex said: “People really supported me. Bless them, all through the night.”
Macmillan relationship fundraising manager for London, Hebe Wright, said the money raised could help fund a Macmillan nurse for more than 12 days.
She added: “I want to say a massive thank you to Alex for such an outstanding fundraising effort.”
If you would like to donate, visit https://bit.ly/3zglaBH.
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