Catherine Dodsworth
Jog For John
Fundraising for Cancer Research UK
Story
Well, it's done! And I'm exhausted - can't believe that at one time I used to do this on a regular basis, then just carry on as if I hadn't just run 6.2 miles! It was harder work than I'd expected - long grass, off-road course, nearly sprained ankle about three times, but amazingly I managed it in 56 minutes! It was also more emotional than I'd expected, particularly as John's and my friend Nigel, who we'd both worked with, came to watch and cheer me on (as did my family). There were also several hills, including one particularly unpleasant one at 9k, which I confess to walking up, needing to save some energy to power over the finish line. But it was also at this point that I looked up at the sky and told John, and all my other friends mentioned below, that this was for them.
I'll leave the story of why I did this below. But thank you so much to everyone who has supported me with donations and kind words. You have helped me make a difference. xx
My first major brush with it was in 1997 when I lost my beloved dad to liver cancer. Then it seemed that it was picking off more and more of my friends' parents. And in the last five years, it has started on my friends. Recently I have watched helplessly from the sidelines as two of my dearest friends waged war on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - in one case a very rare and complex strain - thankfully, both coming out the other end. And last December, an old friend from University lost her battle with breast cancer - I had planned to get back in touch with her but by the time I found her again, it was too late. She was a talented linguist, a successful lawyer and one of the brightest, funniest people I've ever known.
Then there is John, to whom this run and its name - Jog for John - is dedicated. John was a hugely successful fundraiser - a friend of mine from RNIB - who raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to ensure blind and partially sighted people in Scotland would have better opportunities and fulfilling lives. Our Glasgow centre helping people with sight loss towards employment opportunities and out of poverty simply would not have existed without John. He was an inspiration. He was also a husband and a dad. His true loves were his wife Lorna and daughter Lily (pictured with him above - thanks Lorna for permission to use this). Lily was just six months old when John was diagnosed with bowel cancer out of the blue in May 2011, having hardly known a day's illness before then. And she had just turned one when it took him in January this year.
So this is for John, Dad (also John), Helene, Alison, Nicky, Cathy - and everyone who has been affected by this dreadful disease. Please spare a few quid towards making it just go away. And if you're a UK taxpayer, please tick the Gift Aid box, as that means 25% of your donation will go towards beating cancer, rather than to George Osborne. Need I say more?!
Thank you!!!
Cat xxx