My Challenge

21st October 2023 - Nidderdale Way UltraMarathon 55 miles

For every training run between now and then, wear a silly hat and post it on social media and raise as much money for Blood Cancer UK

My Motivation

Leukaemia has twice troubled my family, 20 years apart:

In 1996 my mum was diagnosed with leukemia (at about the same age as I am now.) Although a worrying time for my family, thankfully mum had a successful bone marrow transplant and it's still with us 27 years later.

20 years on though, we lost my father-in-law to the same illness. Unfortunately due to his age he would not have benefited from a bone marrow transplant or stem cell treatment. When he was diagnosed 2015 he underwent chemotherapy and beat it into remission. We were fortunate enough to enjoy one last Christmas, a holiday to Southport and for him to meet his granddaughter before we had to say goodbye.

He was a very healthy, active and life loving, 75 year old and his early death has left a gaping insatiable hole in our family and in the lives of anybody who was lucky enough to know him.

Blood Cancer UK invest in research into to treatment and prevention of all types of blood cancers (£500 million in the past 60 years). If we continue to support them in whatever way we can, hopefully, one day we won't need to lose people like my father in law to this indescriminate disease. Their research may also lead to better treatments for some of the post transplant conditions that my mum has experienced during the past 26 years.

Your Challenge/ (ways you can help)

There are so many ways you can help. How many can you tick off the list?

- donate to blood cancer UK through this page

- share this page and ask someone else to donate

- tell someone else about my challenge

- follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter

- get involved on social media by:

- sharing a post or two (so others can see it)

- commenting on a post (to keep the post on

people's news feeds and alert your friends)

- like/react to a post

- send me a hat to run in

- give me a wave, say hello or get a picture when you see me running