Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
As you may or may not know, my mum’s side of the family has this nasty little gene lurking around. This gene is a breast cancer gene. So far, it has taken away the lives of my great aunt, my great nana and my great great aunt. It also had a go at my aunt, my nana and most recently my mum, but they all fought back and won.
Now, my other female relatives and myself are next in line of being hit by this gene…and we can’t actually do anything about it because the problem is that the gene is unknown and therefore cannot be detected until the cancer has formed…which leaves us in a rubbish position.
Why a marathon?
The fact that we don’t know if we have this gene until we actually have cancer is why research into early detection of it is so important to us and for people like us. This is why, rather than sitting on my bum and waiting for this thing to come and get me, I’m raising as much money as I can for a charity that researches a disease that attacks around 46,000 people every year.
I'm therefore asking you to sponsor me as much or as little as you like for me to train and complete 26.2 MILES (42KM!) in Queenstown's first International Marathon.
My initial aim was to complete the marathon in under 4 hours, but with recent events I will be running the 42kms with a torn knee ligament (awaiting surgery) and newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes. Therefore, the chances of me having to walk in parts are highly probable, either limping with the knee or to test my blood sugar (which I'll have to do approximately 12 times from start to finish, as well as consuming jelly babies about 11 times along the way). My only aim now is to complete the marathon.
Why Breast Cancer Campaign?
Breast Cancer Campaign’s mission is to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure. It differs from other breast cancer charities in that it only funds research into breast cancer and will support research at any centre of excellence in the UK, with particular interest in supporting innovative research.
Their logo is the jigsaw piece because it symbolises the missing pieces of the puzzle that is the cure for breast cancer. In the same way that breast cancer is not one disease, there will not be one cure. Each research project is another piece of the puzzle that we hope will ultimately offer all women with breast cancer effective diagnosis and treatment and eventually help prevent the disease.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. All donations are hugely appreciated.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.