This April, I’ll be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon in aid of Cancer Research UK – an amazing charity that means so much to me and my family. I have certainly never been the ‘sporty one’ so wish me luck.

In 2001, my dad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and as a young family, it was really scary. After years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, remission, relapse and finally a stem cell transplant, Gav the Warrior made a full recovery and thankfully got to see us grow up.

Fast forward to 2017, cancer knocked on our door a second time when Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to early detection she was also able to successfully complete her treatment. But it was really hard. Emily and I had just started uni and a lot of fears and heartache came to the surface.

For me, I count our family as incredibly lucky. We’ve all made it through together and I couldn’t be more grateful to move through life with both parents’ love and support. I try and take this gratitude into every day and embrace the good stuff but I will also admit that I can get pretty anxious about what is around the corner.

Strangely, training for this half marathon has given me a nice amount of thinking time - to process these memories and worries and to think of friends who have also recently faced their own health battles.

Cancer Research is making real progress to tackle this horrific disease that affects too many people and I’m really proud to be raising money to support their work. I’d be so grateful for any sponsored donations, however small - it would mean a whole lot.

Thank you in advance, lots of love,

Lotts xxx