I will be running a barefoot marathon before Christmas to repay something to Force who helped our family during Emily's treatment for breast cancer. This is our story:

We had noticed a lump the size of a small egg in Emily’s right breast a couple of weeks into lockdown but we weren’t overly concerned because it was the same breast where Emily had experienced a blocked milk duct after our first pregnancy with our first child, four years previously. 

However on May 19^th 2020, our world turned upside down. Emily was diagnosed with a Grade 3, invasive ductal carcinoma with abnormal looking lymph nodes. We didn’t yet know if she had any secondaries.

Just when we thought the news couldn’t get much worse, boom! Emily’s genetic tests came back as BRCA-1 positive. This is a genetic mutation, probably inherited from Emily’s paternal grandfather, which may have explained Emily’s getting cancer at such a young age. Further risk reducing treatment therefore became a no brainer as Emily already had an 80 per cent chance of getting another primary form breast cancer and a 50 per cent chance of getting ovarian cancer. Emily’s great uncle had died of breast cancer, which was very rare for a man, and the tests showed that Emily’s father may also have been a carrier of the gene. 

BRCA-1 is a gene that we all have and is part of our normal genetic make-up, which forms part of our genetic repair system. It looks after the genetic information in our cells and tries to fix any errors or little bits of damage that may occur. If someone has a faulty copy of one of these genes, they are more likely to develop certain cancers. BRCA-1 is especially linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. 

The genetic counsellor’s letter summarised the situation well: “I appreciate you have had an extremely challenging time recently, with a lot to deal with- a new home, new baby and now a diagnosis and possibly a hereditary cause.”

It’s true we had moved into a new house, which needed doing up from  top to bottom and we had a very wakeful baby, who brought us delight and sleepless nights. Our friends and family, not to mention many people, we did not even know, were utterly amazing, organising food deliveries, helping us to paint our house, as well as offering to guide for free for my outdoors business.

Had we not been in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, my business would almost certainly have folded. More importantly we had made a conscious decision to explain to our four-year old daughter what was going on. She was disturbed by Emily’s loss of hair but we were afraid that she was bottling things up, as she seemed to be dealing with it almost too well.

It was really helpful therefore, to know that all three of us and any of our relatives-potentially affected by Emily’s situation, qualified for counselling, at the Cancer Centre with Force, should we need it. 

Emily remembers: “I started seeking support from Force through counselling about halfway through chemo, when I received my first dose of EC. The side effects were so horrendous, I thought I was having panic attacks at the thought of going back into hospital.”

She began zoom counselling with Paul, one of the resident counsellors, who was able to put her at ease and equip her with tools, so that she was able to cope with the remainder of the chemotherapy. 

Paul continued to support Emily while she finished the chemotherapy. Then she had to prepare for the double mastectomy operation in January 2021. After all the treatment was finished, Seren started attending play therapy, arranged through Force, which she responded to really well. All of her bottled up feelings were able to see the daylight and she was able to process things really well.

Today we stand as a family of four, bruised and not beaten. Emily puts it well. “Force paid a vital part in helping each of us take the next step, when it wasn’t always obvious.”

I run an outdoors and events business called Wild Running, which has so far managed to survive: “We are all so grateful as a family to Force, not just for the help they gave Emily and Seren but just the comfort of knowing they were there as help and support, if we needed them. While I was able to provide emotional and logistical support to Emily, it also takes the input of a trained professional to understand what it must be like for a four-year-old.

“During my research, I Iearnt that Force are reliant on charitable donations. We would like to repay them in some way. While I was waiting for Emily to come out of chemo each session, I would run around the Green Circle, an urban trail around Exeter. This became another form of therapy for me, as well as a place of refuge. It seemed like the natural thing to do, to establish a fundraising event to raise money for Force.”

In June 2021, the first Green Lantern attracted 200 entrants and we raised almost £1000 for Force. We have another one on November 13^th, 2021, which is part of the Wild Night Run Series. This year, the whole seven-race series will raise funds for Force. 

If you want to find our more or enter the Green Lantern, go to https://www.wildrunning.co.uk/events/category/trail-run-events/