Alec and I made a New Year’s Resolution to do a half marathon this year, so as a step on the way to that we are both signed up to do the Long Bennington Summer Solstice 10k on June 23rd. Now for any proper runners out there, 10k may not seem that much – but rest assured I am not a proper runner.

Anyway, the purpose of this message is to let you know we are both running in support of my niece Jess and her nominated charity - Make Seconds Count. Jess is 33 and has a young family. I will let her tell her story:

“In late 2020, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I underwent chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and further chemotherapy with the aim to cure me.

Unfortunately, in late 2021, while still having chemotherapy, I had a local recurrence which resulted in me having a mastectomy. I had a CT scan to check for distance metastases (spread elsewhere in the body) but nothing was found.

I was now classed as high risk of further recurrence and therefore had monitoring CT scans every 3 months. A tiny nodule popped up on my right lung in March and the same in June - as it hadn't grown further, we were hopeful it wasn't sinister.

In late July/early August 2022, after finally getting my life together - returning to work, losing chemo weight, enjoying life as a family feeling healthy - I had a rash on my torso and a painful back. I have an amazing team at my hospital and my surgeon booked me in. She was concerned about the rash and me about my spine. She took biopsies and pushed for quick scans. We went on holiday, as encouraged by the surgeon, as a family and I started to feel better.

Devastatingly for us as a family, 3 days after arriving back home, we were given the news that the cancer was now secondary, metastatic, incurable. It wasn't my spine or skin, it was cancer in my right lung and in a chest lymph node cluster.

I had a first line of chemotherapy for my stage 4 diagnosis - it failed and I had significant progression (the cancer all grew). I then had a second line of targeted chemotherapy treatment - which showed some response after 3 cycles. But again, the joy was short lived as my symptoms (cough, pain, fatigue and breathlessness) kicked back up and a CT scan showed more growth.”

A few weeks ago we hoped we would be asking you to for support to fund a second round of treatment for Jess which was not available on the NHS. Very sadly after encouraging initial signs, the cancer has again grown and the decision has been taken to stop that treatment. Again, in her own words

“I'm moving on to one of the NHS options but it is unlikely to reverse the symptoms I'm living with now - breathlessness and pain. There have been lots of talks about quality of life and how they can make it easier for me.”

Not words you would ever want to hear a loved one say. We therefore asked Jess which Charity she would like us to support and she said Make 2nds Count – a charity there to give hope to those affected by secondary breast cancer through research, support and education. Secondary breast cancer is breast cancer which has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Although secondary breast cancer can be treated, there is no cure. Unlike those living with primary breast cancer, there is no end of treatment, there is no remission.

It’s estimated that 35,000 people are currently living with secondary breast cancer in the UK yet only 7% of the National funding for cancer goes towards this incurable disease. Make 2nds Count aim to address this imbalance.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, now give your loved ones a hug and if you are able to donate to support the work of such an important charity in the work they do for families having just the toughest of times, please do.

Iain & Alec