Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. u donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

I DID IT!!!!!!! On Sunday 16th March 2014 I finished the marathon in 5 hours, 10 minutes and 29 seconds!!!!!  I am so proud, emotional and on cloud nine!!  Thank you to everyone for your support and generous donations, already raised 1,620 Euro for a fantastic cause. I  dedicate my medal to my father and thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  Laura xx

 

Hi, I am Laura, 43, and daughter to Ted and Christine Smith.  My parents have given me the most amazing grounding in life, taught me to be strong, aspiring and succeed in whatever I put my mind to.  Nothing however, prepared me for the reality that cancer brings.  I have had a huge learning curve over the last few years and one that has taught me to appreciate immensely life, every waking moment, my loved ones and others.  

My parents are beating cancer and I wanted to challenge myself as well and decided that I would train for a marathon.  I have never run before, infact, I have never really been a sporty person at all and I am, at times, wobbling wondering if I will ever get to the finish line but I know I will, even if I have to crawl accross it :-)   I have put lots of determination, focus and dedication into my training and I am so happy to say that on 12th January 2014, in training I finished my first ever half marathon distance in 2 hrs 27 mins, I still have a long way to run but I now know I can do it.  

Please support me and my cause to give a little something back and most importantly, remember those who have not been as lucky as I.  

I would like to now introduce you to my father who is my inspiration:

 

My name is Ted Smith, I am 79 (& I am Laura’s father). I completed 3 London Marathons in the 1980s.

Nearly 5 years ago in 2009 I suffered stomach pains, lost weight, & was sick at intervals. After lots of tests I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer (PC).

It comes as a nasty shock to find that 97% of patients with PC die within one year as they do not usually show symptoms until it is too late!

I was lucky in that my stomach pains meant that the cancer was found early & was operable. I had an 8 hour operation (with a 14” scar on my stomach) & various bits of my insides removed. This was followed by 6 months of weekly Chemotherapy.

4 years later I was lucky again (although it did not feel that way at the time) when an annual CT scan found 2 malignant nodules in my lung. (I gave up smoking 20 years ago.) These nodules were associated with my original PC. So I had half of my left lung removed in Sept 2013.

I am now recovered, lead an active life (but don’t run marathons any more) & will probably never weigh more than 60 kg.

After searching the Internet, I found the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund (www.pcrf.org.uk) which my wife & I wholeheartedly support with donations.

 

PCRF was set up about 10 years ago by Maggie Blanks who lost her husband to PC when he was 45. She has since raised over £4million that has funded 27 PC research projects in the UK.