16 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. This is my story. This is why, despite cancer, I am running the London marathon 2021 and why running one marathon (London 2020!) wasn’t quite enough! 

I was, as I still am, a lively and energetic young woman, but back then I had some odd lumps on my neck. "Hormones," they said during repeated visits to the GP.  It would have been hard to think otherwise as I had no other symptoms.

Luckily, during a GP visit with a dodgy knee (yes, I have committed to run marathon) and a coincidental sore throat I was sent over to paediatrics. Fast forward a few biopsies and a bucket load of blood tests, my parents were given the worst news. Those hormonal lumps, left untreated, were going to kill me. I had Hodgkins lymphoma.

"My hair!" was my first reaction. It's reassuring that my priorities haven't changed too much. Treatment was miserable, being a teenager on a paediatric ward was not cool and the toll on my mental health sucked. But, I flicked cancer the V's thanks to a solid support network and charities like CLIC Sargent.  CLIC Sargent helped me with support specific to my age and circumstances. They organised great socials (not much changed there either) and offered a wide range of services and support to my family and I.

Fast-forward 16 years and I am embarrassingly normal for a Northerner in their thirties living down South. I have got a degree, travelled to over 20 countries, had some pretty fun jobs, maintain a hectic social life and have great hair (again). 

Cancer has not defined me but the London Marathon 2021 will be part of my story to:

1. Provide hope to those who are suffering and their families
2. Challenge the perception of #thisiswhatcancersurvivorlookslike
3. Raise money for very personal cause