In October, I’ll be running the London Marathon in loving memory of two amazing, inspirational women. My mum, Maggie passed away on the 1^st September 2021, after over six years of suffering from various illnesses. In recent years, a recurrence of cancer had spread to her lungs, leading her to undergo physically challenging lung ablation therapy. Throughout her illness her positivity and love of life and her family never waned. She leaves behind her loving husband, two sons and wider family and friends. She was the kindest, strongest, most amazing person you could ever wish to meet.

Also, I’ll be running in October in memory of my much-loved Auntie Nina. Carolina passed away after a short but heroically brave battle with cancer on January 13^th 2022. She too is much loved and incredibly sorely missed by the entire family, friends and all. In the future, the work that Royal Castle Lung Cancer Foundation prioritises, to help increase early detections and enable life-lengthening treatments, could be massively beneficial to people in the same situation as Carolina.

Having ran several half marathons before, including recently the 2021 Leeds Half Marathon only four days after mum’s passing, the London Marathon is a challenge I’ve wanted to undertake for several years. Now I feel is the right time to do this, to raise money for such a great, underappreciated cause.

46,000 Brits every year are diagnosed with lung cancer, with someone dying of the disease nationwide every 15 minutes. As a third of lung cancer sufferers have never smoked, the negative reputation of lung cancer needs to be addressed. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only specialised lung cancer charity nationwide, despite lung cancer being the biggest cancer killer in Britain, accounting for 21% of all cancer-related deaths. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, its been estimated that the five-year survival rate from lung cancer has decreased by 25%, so any support to such an incredible cause would be hugely appreciated.