My first ever marathon is dedicated to my older brother, Rob.

Rob's had a lot of ailments in his life (asthma, meningitis, a lot of broken bones and, most irritatingly, a total inability to handle hangovers). 

We never really took any of these seriously (although in hindsight, the meningitis was pretty bad), but in December 2019, he took himself to A&E after experiencing paralysis in the right side of his face - and naturally, my family was pretty concerned. Scans throughout the night revealed that our concerns were unfortunately with reason, and Rob was diagnosed with an extremely rare intercranial teratoma in the middle of his brain. Today, there is still no clear method of treatment for his case.

Life as a young man with a medically anomalous, growing, inaccessible tumour is shadowed with uncertainty and fear. But we are very fortunate that my brother is physically well and able to continue living his life. Sadly, the same cannot be said for many other beneficiaries of the Brain Tumour Charity. 

I say this as brain tumours are described by the medical sector as diseases of 'unmet need'. Survival remains low, and has changed little in over a generation. Just 12% of adults survive for five years after a malignant diagnosis and brain tumours reduce life expectancy by an average of 27 years. They are actually the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, and yet unbelievably, are still a woefully underfunded area of study. Clearly, the only real hope of dramatic improvements to these statistics withinin our lifetime lies in funding new and disruptive research projects. Projects such as those sponsored by the BTC.

For the above reasons, although I have no idea whether I'm physically capable of running 26.2 miles, I'm determined to try on behalf of this incredible cause. Anything you can spare would mean the world to me and families just like mine, who are trying to figure out what living with a brain tumour means for all of their futures. 

Thank you for your support and I hope to see you along the way 

Josie 

Despite everything going on with his health, my brother qualified as a doctor in July 2021. When he's not working at Sussex Hospital, he has been writing up a paper on his unique condition which has been accepted for publication. he has regular brain scans and there has been some discussion about surgeries to relieve the pressure in his head, as well as Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy.