So, it appears that the three of us are taking on the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 10th Oct 2010.  For Eddy and Sam, this will be their first half marathon, but for Charlotte, it is her second, which means she needs to beat her previous time of 2hr, 6min.

 We have chosen to run for Marie Curie Cancer Care because it is a cause extremely close to our hearts.  The charity is extremely worthwhile and is an amazing help to any families coping with cancer.

 

The following information is about the charity itself, but if you wish to know more then please go to http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/.

 

Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, we expect to provide care to around 29,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in our hospices this year, along with support for their families.

We mainly care for people with cancer but we also care for people with other life limiting illnesses. Our services are always free of charge to patients and their families.

The charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care for patients in their own homes.

We have nine hospices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and conduct palliative care research to find better ways of caring for terminally ill people. We also fund seven scientific teams investigating the causes of and treatments for cancer.

Since 2004, Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die at home.

Research shows around 70 per cent of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizeable minority opting for hospice care.

However, more than 50 per cent of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be.

Financially, around 70 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of our funds coming from the NHS.