On September 10th 2023 I will be running the Great North Run to fundraise for Bowel Cancer UK.

 This is a charity close to my heart- my mum was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of only 37. After completing six months of chemotherapy and key-hole surgery mum was discharged in 2013 and has thankfully been healthy since. The early signs of bowel cancer are so easily missed- although successfully completing treatment it took my mum almost a year to be diagnosed as her GP initially thought her symptoms were due to IBS. Bowel Cancer UK estimates that 4 in 10 young people visit their GP three times or more before being referred for further testing. I am hoping to fundraise to help raise awareness of the early bowel cancer symptoms to help ensure no other people are misdiagnosed, improving survival rates for bowel cancer patients in the UK. 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/vanessas-bowel-cancer-battle-2114040.amp

https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/campaigning/never-too-young/