In 4 weeks’ time I shall be running the London Marathon for a brilliant charity Coppafeel. I have always been someone who has shunned marathons or any charity based events, I found it easier just donating and watching others do it.

In the first week of July 2020 , everyone’s life was starting to get back to normal after the first lock down when ours took a turn for the worse with Amy being diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer. A couple of weeks before she had felt an abnormal lump in her breast, she was basically coppafeeling around the boob and thank god she was.

Amy was diagnosed with HER2+Positive, ER+PR+ breast cancer, which is an aggressive cancer, and although the lump was small we had to act quickly. Two weeks later the lump was removed successfully with her first surgery, however there was a bit of a curveball thrown at her when they found a second lump. This didn’t change her prognosis but it meant that two weeks after her first surgery she had to have a mastectomy and a new boob. This was just the start of her mad journey. Due to the covid restrictions every appointment she had she was completely on her own for the following 16 months, I wasn’t even allowed to step foot into the hospital even to take her in for her mastectomy.

12 weeks followed of Chemo and 1 year of immunotherapy. The amazing news is she is now 2 years clear of this dreadful disease and she has so wonderfully kicked its arse! It is hard to believe she has been through this rollercoaster journey.

I’m trying to keep this sort of begging letter short but I want to raise a lot of money for this brilliant charity that spreads the word in breast cancer awareness. My goal is to run in under 4 hours. My reason for this isn’t to beat all my alpha male and female friends’ previous times, but because 4 hours was the minimum Amy would sit in a chair every week for her chemo session, with a very cold hat on, stoically thinking about as many positive things as possible.

In May 1993, when Amy was 11,  her mother Maggie died of breast cancer.  Amy and Jimmy’s lives were shattered, Maggie had battled so bravely but sadly nothing could be done. You can’t imagine what was going through Amy’s mind when she was told that she also had the dreaded same cancer that killed her mother so devastatingly at the same age. If Amy hadn’t been so aware and on the ball so quickly with her diagnosis the outcome could have been very different. As her doctor said, the fact she caught it so early was vital and so thankfully with amazing charities like Coppafeel we can have a bloody good go at beating this disease by telling everyone to Coppafeel.

Just before I go I want to thank all my amazing family and friends who have all been unbelievable from start to finish throughout the past few years, and have been such a great support for Amy and me.

Love you all and thank you for donating.

A little bit about this wonderful charity below...

CoppaFeel! are the first UK breast cancer charity to create awareness amongst young people, with the aim to instil a new healthy behaviour that could one day save a life. They are on a mission to ensure breast cancer is diagnosed early and correctly by getting the nation to check their boobs/chest regularly. They want to educate people on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, encourage them to get to know what is normal for them and empower young people to have the confidence to see a doctor if they notice anything that isn't right for them.