My JustGiving page is in loving memory of my father, Brendan Anderson. 

My father left work on 20th December 2013, driving home to begin the Christmas holidays. My parents, sister, brother and myself went out for a family lunch to celebrate being back together for Christmas. That afternoon, my father collapsed and died from aortic dissection which caused the membrane around his heart to fill with blood. It came as a huge shock  – he had never had heart problems before.

My father was a family law barrister specialising in child care cases, but for him it was more than a job, it was a vocation. He cared so much about vulnerable people, and was described by many people as a kind person and a truly gentle man. He was hardworking and persevering in everything he did. I want to honour these qualities. 

The combination of stress, an unhealthy lifestyle and a reluctance to take care of oneself is often seen in people working in high-pressured jobs. It is so important that people take care of their hearts by living healthily and getting medical advice where necessary, because too many people are dying. 

I was 22 when I lost Dad, and I am now 25. The last 3 years have been very challenging as my family struggled through our grief and loss whilst trying to support each other in our careers, studies, job applications, relationships and the rest of life which continued whether we felt up to it or not. But we made it this far.

I want to let other young people who have been bereaved know that, although they feel like their world has fallen apart and that they will never come through their grief, this is not the case. I’ve learned that you just have to keep going, one step at a time, no matter how slowly – as long as you keep breathing, and keep going forwards. That was what got me through the first year after his death. “Keep going forwards” will be my marathon mantra and will get me through the 26.2 miles (and if you know me, you'll know that I've never run further than a 10k and in the past have been adamant that I'd never be so stupid as to attempt to run a marathon).

I hope to raise £2012.13 in his memory (20/12/13 being the day my father died). By helping raise funds for Heart Research UK, I hope that the fight against all kinds of heart disease can also keep going forwards.