Ella Cromack: "I'm so proud of my dad's fight and desire to keep going"

Over the course of one day and more than 1,600 conversions, Ella Cromack is taking on the challenge of a lifetime to assist her father in his battle with cancer.

The Harlequins fly-half saw her world turned upside down on 16 November 2023 when her dad, Simon, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an incurable form of cancer.

The Cromack family are now focussed on spending as much time together as possible through the treatments available.

It is this mission which has led Cromack to take on a gruelling 24-hour kickathon at Twickenham's Stoop in a bid to raise money for her dad's treatment.

"My dad was the person who got me into rugby when I was eight or nine," she said. "He took me down to my first session and I've never looked back.

"Mentally, it makes it hard knowing that potentially every game could be one of the last games he watches but it actually makes me want to play that much better knowing that. 

"Every game want to put my all into it and show him what I can do.

"Ever since he has received his diagnosis, I've just been blown away by his resilience and his fight to just keep going. Everyday it's about not letting this tumour win.

"I'm so proud of his fight and desire to keep going."

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Glioblastoma treatments can cost anywhere from £18,000 to 20,000, with Simon having to travel outside of the UK to receive care.

Having raised money through various fundraisers already, Cromack decided to take on her biggest challenge yet after being inspired by her dad's resilience and fight.

And with the added excitement of breaking All Blacks legend Dan Carter's own world record of 1,598 conversions in 24 hours, Cromack will look to get one up on the two-time World Cup winner in her dad's honour.

"I will be doing 1,611 kicks to mirror the date of dad's diagnosis, so it makes it a bit more personal," she said.

"It is an unofficial world record attempt, the only other person who's done it before is Dan Carter who did 1,598 so that's pretty cool to be up there with him.

"Playing fly-half, I've always loved kicking off a tee and so it felt natural to do a challenge like this where I can fundraise.

"Physically it's tough, but mentally, knowing why I am doing this makes it so much easier.

"I don't know if I will be able to keep my emotions down. It is such a touchy and personal subject. I'm almost certain that I will cry once I'm finished but focussing on the task at hand will be how I get through it."

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Cromack will have to aim for approximately 67 conversions per hour to reach her target goal and set a new world record.

But even at 3am in the morning, she knows that she will not be alone.

Fellow Harlequins players Sarah Parry, Emily Blackburn and Maddy Page are all set for a long night supporting their teammate at the Stoop.

"I'm super grateful and lucky that there are a couple of girls from Quins who are staying the whole night and 24 hours," she said. "Sarah, Emily and Maddy are all staying with me the whole time.

"And then my family and some of the other Quins players and coming down to support when they can. Any support I'm just so grateful for."

Cromack joined Harlequins ahead of the 2023/24 season as one of the most exciting new prospects of the game.

It's been a rollercoaster of ups and downs for the fly-half, who has not seen as much game time as planned this season, but admitted that she feels richer every session after learning from the team around her.

And with role models like Red Roses stars Lagi Tuima and Ellie Kildunne to learn from at close quarters, Cromack has found her rugby family in Twickenham.

"I love playing here and I don't see myself anywhere else, especially at the moment," she added.

"The culture is amazing on and off pitch and I think that showed last season, the way we can from seventh to third.

"I didn't get a lot of game time last year but I'm learning so much from the players around me that I'm fine with that and I'm progressively getting better everyday in training.

"One thing I've learnt the most here is that leadership piece. You lead from the standards you set and so Lagi Tuima has been such a big influence for me, as well as Emily Scott when she was at Quins a couple of season back.

"Seeing how they hold themselves in training, I've learnt a lot from them both on and off the pitch."

Donate to Ella's cause here.