My beloved best friend, Soph, aged 28, died suddenly and tragically in 2019. To honour her memory and take part in something that is wildly beyond my comfort zone (I am not a runner) I've signed up to the Royal Parks Half Marathon in April, Edinburgh Half in May and the Amsterdam Marathon in October. 

I chose Royal parks as my first ever race because it was one Soph herself had completed. Due to the pandemic the race was postponed until April 2021, so I thought as I had to keep training why not throw a few more challenges in along the way. Hence the 2nd Half and the Full Marathon later in the year. 

I miss her every single day and want to do something to mark her passing in a way that I know would make her laugh. I repeat I am not a runner. It would be amazing if you could help me raise money for this worthy and grossly underfunded charity. 

Soph's story:

At 6 o'clock on Monday 3rd June she was sitting next to her Mum on the sofa in her house waiting for her sister to serve up her favourite dinner. By 6.30pm she had collapsed and was rushed to hospital by ambulance. By 8pm that same evening she had passed away. A brain aneurysm was suspected, but the diagnosis was wrong. Soph had, in fact, died of catastrophic bilateral pulmonary emboli.                  

Soph had seen a paramedic on Saturday 1st June whilst working away and had been told she probably had a virus and to go home and rest. The symptoms of pulmonary embolism - breathlessness, chest pain, high fever - are often overlooked or diagnosed as other, less serious, problems such as a chest infection or viral illness, which is why it is vital to raise awareness.          

Thrombosis UK endeavours to reflect all aspects of thrombosis care and research in the UK. It came about because of the lack of awareness amongst the general public, politicians and health professionals, of the dangers of thrombosis. Indeed, thrombosis is arguably the largest cause of death in the UK, and probably in the developed world. The aim of the Charity is to raise awareness and educate everyone about thrombosis and its prevention, as well as fund relevant research aimed at filling the gaps that exist in current medical knowledge. It is estimated that around 25,000 people died every year, mostly unnecessarily, as a result of thrombosis associated with hospital admissions alone (the highest risk factor for developing DVT/PE).

Thank you so much