My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019. In my opinion he was the greatest living Yorkshire man - a force of nature who, despite having lost his fingers on his right hand in an industrial accident as a young man, was an expert gardener. He had the most lovely garden in Lancaster where I grew up. His house was his castle and when he became terminally ill in the midst of the pandemic, my family rallied to keep him at home where he belonged.

We could not have done this without the support of the Macmillan nursing team. I have been a nurse for 35 years, and I was in awe of their quiet, professional care. They gave him the utmost dignity and respect, and the strength to our family to let him go. 'There goes my hero...' by the Foo Fighters forever encapsulates that time in the Spring of 2021.

Now it is summer 2024, and I am running my first marathon in September for my dad and for Macmillan. Please support this wonderful cause with as little or much as you are able to give. Please show up for some real life heroes and honour our staff who work so hard to support those with cancer. Thank you Macmillan nurses in Lancaster, the Highlands and throughout the UK. Remember, not all heroes wear capes!