Though I have been running for many years, this will be my first marathon! I wanted to challenge myself after two years of restricted activity. But most importantly, I wanted to do something to honour my niece, Lillie, who died at the age of fifteen of diffuse midline gliome (DIPG) in July 2021. She was extraordinary and fearless; she would want me to keep moving and do something new to honour her life. 

DIPG affects almost exclusively children and has no cure. It appears suddenly in healthy children and is terminal upon diagnosis. The average survival time is less than a year after diagnosis. Currently, all care is palliative, though there are important clinical trials working towards a cure. As an amateur runner, I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in the London Marathon by raising money for a charity that helps fund research for paediatric cancers. 

If you would like to know more about Lillie, please read about her here: https://www.facebook.com/thelegendarylillie 

Please consider donating to my marathon challenge to help Children with Cancer UK invest in research that could help cure childhood cancers. 

At Children with Cancer UK we actively raise and invest money for vital specialist research to save the lives of every child with cancer and keep their family together. Our vision is a world where every child diagnosed with cancer gets to ring their end of cancer treatment bell.