For those who know me, the mere thought of attempting a marathon is laughable. But, with a little encouragement from friends and the opportunity to raise money for a truly amazing cause, I thought why not. Myself, Kristi, Simeon, Michael and Alex will be taking on the challenge of The Berlin Marathon on the 29th of September.

 My family and I have had lots of experience with The Christie. My brother Charlie had been under the hospital’s care for a couple of years before unfortunately losing his stoic battle with cancer. The work they do for this catastrophic illness is second to none. My personal experience only comes from many times spent at the hospital collecting medication for Charlie, where I was always met by such friendly, helpful and committed staff.

 Charlie was and always will be my hero and I miss him dearly.  He would find it absolutely hilarious that I was going to run a marathon in his name. For all the struggle through his illness he never complained and managed to maintain a smile and his humour throughout. Compared to what he had to endure, the training and the race itself is nothing.  Or at least should be manageable for a sort of healthy 28-year-old!

 Cancer has affected my family since I can remember. I lost my eldest brother Nick who died when he was 17.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to make it to the Christie, the disease took him too quickly.

 The reality is, most families in the UK are in some way affected by this illness and I’d like to do all I can to raise as much money as possible for this great cause.

Please donate whatever you can.

Sam.

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