A Llandybie teacher is facing her biggest challenge to date on behalf of a poorly pupil.

Emma Wheeler, Autism Advisory teacher for Carmarthenshire, has agreed to take on the mammoth IronMan Challenge in Tenby this September for LATCH on behalf of Ysgol Bro Dinefwr pupil Ryan Skilton.

Last August, Ryan was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive lymphoma and is the only child in Wales to ever have been placed on the SMILE chemotherapy protocol which has come over to the UK from Japan due to the rarity.

Emma, 49, said: “I wanted to tackle the IronMan challenge as a personal challenge and I wanted to do something good for someone else.

“Over the years I have gotten to know Ryan and his family and they said that LATCH had helped them so much with his cancer diagnosis and other children so I decided to raise money for that charity.

“I work with children with autism as part of my job and it is hard to get your head around when they are battling illnesses.

“Seeing Ryan fighting highlighted that money needs to be raised for the excellent charity.”

Emma, who turns 50 in August, will be swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running 26.3 miles in 17 hours.

To raise the funds, the teacher will be cycling outside Tesco Ammanford and Co-op in Cross Hands as part of her training.

Ryan’s mum Sarah, from Capel Hendre, said: “Emma has supported Ryan educationally for many years and now she is supporting him on his cancer journey.

“In 2015 doctors diagnosed Ryan with glandular fever and it turned cancerous.

“We are hoping to raise £5,000 to help fund an Autism Advisory initiative for children who have to spend time in hospital for treatment.

“Ryan is in hospital for one week every and if it wasn’t for LATCH I don’t think we would of got through this.”

Sarah and Ryan have also blogged about his autism and cancer journey which you can visit at bellybuttonpanda.co.uk.

If you would like to support Emma visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Emma-Wheeler10.

Fundraising events are set to be arranged in due course.