Hello!!
So, I have decided to run my third marathon on 4 December and it’s in Jamaica!! The charity I am fundraising for is Saint Francis Hospice. I’ve tried to keep it as short as possible as I know some of you have read bits before, but for those that haven’t here’s an insight in to why I do what I do . . .
My Target . . .
I have a dream to raise £50,000 for various charities that support the fight against Cancer. They may fund the science into finding a cure, provide treatment, financial aid, and help for the patient/family/friends especially in the patient’s final days. All in all with the same outlook, to help anyone that is affected by cancer. To raise the £50’000 I will be running a minimum of ten marathons, around the world. So far I have completed two, New York 2001 and London 2009 (see below).
New York in 2001 – raising just over £6800 for Imperial Cancer Research Fund
London in 2009 – raising just over £5120 for Macmillan Cancer Support
Why have I decided to fundraise for Cancer Charities? 13 years ago I lost one of my closest family members to cancer. It was a difficult time and ever since then my families never been the same. I really struggled to come to terms with her death, I always felt that my home wasn't somewhere with a roof but that it was just being around her. Just before she went to sleep she told me a saying
"do as you would be done by" and I intend to do just that.
Why Marathons? The simple answer is because I shouldn’t be able to. I know it sounds strange but I’ll explain. As for me, like most people, it’s a tremendous test of strength both mentally and physically and remembering that I’m no athlete, I do like a good run and attend a gym a few times a week but to run a marathon is far tougher than I’d ever imagined. The training takes over your life let alone the hurdles you face on race day and back in 2001, I realised something wasn’t quite right.
I have copied a paragraph from my story that I wrote for the London Marathon fundraising pack back in 2009, it describes something that happened to me whilst running my first marathon:
“To date the New York Marathon is by far the hardest challenge I have ever faced. I truly pushed beyond my limits and was very sick when I came home. I was completely unaware of a birth defect I had and with the incorrect training, I was in a bit of trouble out there. At mile 18 I had lost 3 toe nails, my left ankle was slightly twisted but my main worry was my chest. It felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer. On completing the marathon and returning to England I underwent numerous tests and was finally diagnosed with a birth defect called Pectus Excavatum which affects my heart and lung functions. As I'd never pushed myself so hard before I was completely unaware of what caused and to date still causes the pains. I finished the New York Marathon in 5 hrs and 40 minutes. When I'm asked how I just laugh because I don't remember that much other than thinking I'll never do this again, ever and without being too dramatic it was pretty painful.”
It took doctors 8 years to diagnose me as I have a rare form of Pectus Excavatum,. I have a few ribs which are indented (hidden behind my left breast) that prevent my heart and lungs from fully expanding. This limits the speed at which the blood and oxygen can be pumped around the body. The limitation is generally fine for day to day activities, it’s when I make them work that it becomes apparent. In New York I pushed them too far and this impacted the muscles/cartilage that surrounds the heart. I basically tore some tissue so when I train now the scar tissue causes me pain. I do suffer with dizzy spells but that’s dealt with by just slowing down and walking for a few minutes. Unfortunately before I was diagnosed I didn’t realise this and did pass out on a few occasions but lucky enough my heart has an excellent recovery rate so I was soon enough awake again. I was luckyu as I did keep fit so I managed to recover, just not fully. I never suffered with chest pains before I ran it. Now I suffer with a dull ache in my chest every day, sometimes it gets worse but I’m happy to say this isn’t often. I have no regrets though as had I known I had Pectus Excavatum as a child then I wouldn’t have participated in so much sport growing up and I would never have known that I could push myself that far to complete a marathon, let alone two.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go” T.S. Eliot
So when I was finally diagnosed in 2008 and see how gob smacked the doctors were, I felt pretty proud so I signed up for my second marathon. I trained very hard and made sure I used a system of interval training which taught my heart that it was getting a rest, I knew when to stop and when to take rest days. I completed the London Marathon in April 2009. I could now see my dream coming true. I do have to give 12 months between each marathon which means a good 6 months off of the long distance running but now I had my target set, if I’d done two I could do more!!
"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming" Frank Shorter
So why Saint Francis Hospice Saint Francis Hospice is one of our local charities. It is an independent charity and one of the largest adult hospices in the UK. They serve the population of Hornchurch, Gidea Park, Romford, Harold Wood, Harold Hill, Elm Park, Rainham, Upminster, Collier Row, Brentwood, Redbridge and Barking & Dagenham.
Saint Francis Hospice cares for 500 in patients and makes more than 5000 home visits a year. They are a large hospice whose main focus is on care of the individual, their family and their carers.
90p of every £1 donated to Saint Francis is spent directly on Patient care.
All the services they provide are free of charge to patients and their families. They are barely supported by the NHS (who contributes just over 30% of their total annual running cost of £6.5 million) but as a registered charity they gain enormous support from our local community, generating almost two thirds of their running costs through donations. Without this generosity it would not be possible for them to continue.
One thing that stood out for me is the support they provide if the patient wants to return home. There is a common belief that a hospice is where everyone goes to die. That is not true. The average stay in a hospice is 12 to 14 days, after which many patients return home. At Saint Francis Hospice the support they provide through home visits allows many patients to spend their final days in the comfort of their own home. A hospice cannot claim to extend life, but it can certainly improve the quality of life for each patient, so that each day can be lived to the full.
1 in 3 people’s lives are touched by hospice care
The Race
This year I am lucky enough to participate in Jamaica’s 10 annual Marathon. The race starts at 5am local time on Saturday 4 December 2010 and even though it’s early the heat will already be high in the 70s, I’m hoping I can finish just after 9am so that I don’t have to run when the heats mid 80s, but we’ll see how I go.
The full marathon course is 26.2 miles and starts by torchlight at Long Bay Beach Park situated along Negril's famed 7-mile white sand beach. The course loops into the town of Negril then heads north towards the Town of Green Island. I am really looking forward to finishing and running straight in the sea!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING MY STORY . . .
THANK YOU EVEN MORE FOR SUPPORTING IT . . .
Lots of love always,
Lauren
xxx
