On 22 March this year the world lost a very strong, loving and caring lady to cancer. That lady was my Mum, Jackie. 

My Mum was first diagnosed in December 2009 with an aggressive form of Ovarian Cancer - until then, I had been fortunate enough to have never really come into close contact with this horrific disease. It had been something that happened to other families, other people - horrible yes, but never hitting me personally.

Once you are told that someone you love is suffering it affects you in a way that you can never prepare for or understand until it happens to you. It sets a time limit on life and changes situations, events and relationships irrevocably. 

My Mum fought her illness bravely for over 3 years, coping with endless rounds of chemo, a huge operation, painful cold cap treatments to prevent hair loss (cancer takes away dignity, but the one thing Mum was determined to keep was her hair) yet through it all, she stayed stoical and strong, right up to the end. I truly beleive she is with me now giving me the strength to keep going and fighting on in her memory. I know she felt she was taken from us too soon and we feel the same, that we were robbed of a very special lady far too early, but from something so unfair and negative, she would have wanted us to find and create something positive.

Race for Life is one of the ways I will keep Mum's memory alive and raise money to help go towards developments in earlier diagnosis and advances in treatment for cancer. 

Please help me raise as much as possible to help fight cancer and save lives. Every penny counts so please give generously. 

On behalf of my family, and especially Jackie my Mum, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks for your support.

With love and thanks,

Sarah x