Andy and I are running the London marathon on the Sunday the 25 April 2010. 26 miles 385 yards or for my Australian friends 42.195 kilometres!!! to raise money for The Breast Cancer Campaign.
I know most of you reading this will be our dear family and friends but I shall fill you in on our back ground in case you are not. Andy and I are very happily married with eleven amazing children. Seven boys and four girls. We feel very lucky and have a fabulous life.
18months ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was unexpected to say the least. I had no family history and have breastfeed all of my 11 children (which is meant to cut down the risks). And I had just turned 38, not the typical age to get it.
People often ask me how it felt when I was told. Despite being called back three times for biopsies I didn’t for one second think it was anything to worry about. Andy, Ethel (who was 8 months old at the time) and I sat in the hospital room and I remember my most wonderful consultant saying ‘I know it’s very sad and a shock’ and I felt Andy’s whole body start to shake next to mine as tears streamed down his face. I looked at Andy and we smiled, in that teary way you do when you are conveying silently that everything is going to be alright...because there can't be any other way. I don't think I took in a great deal of what was said after that. I nodded in the right places and looked as though I was listening but my mind raced through my life and my children and the future. I stroked Ethel’s face, her most beautiful baby face and felt my heart break into a million pieces but I didn’t cry. In fact life went on pretty normally. With eleven children there is no time to be gloomy. There was no choice in this and if they had of said to me chop off both your arms to get rid of this then I would have agreed. Of course it was nothing as drastic as that.
It was hoped a lumpectomy would solve the problem but unfortunately a second lump was found on the day I was admitted and within days I was having a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. It was a nine and a half hour operation which took the fat from my stomach and this was put into my breast. How incredible. It’s a relatively new operation. Oh I have a fabulous scar from hip to hip, which my sister Dawn said I should tell people is from a shark attack ( I was brought up in Australia) and Dawn said if you are going to have a scar you may as well have a good story to go with it. So if ever you hear of a primary school teacher who was savaged by a shark that would be me.
I spent ten days in the high dependency unit. A few of which I have no recollection of but I know that Andy sat there every day beside me even when I didn’t know he was there. My Mum and my sister flew in from Australia which was wonderful during those hospital days. Did it hurt??? Well let’s just say it smarted somewhat. I had to have five drains in. Was it a hideous time...actually no, most certainly not all of it. I was in a room with the most wonderful women who all had the same operation as I did and we have become firm friends and meet up regularly. Oh we laughed so much.. which in hindsight was not a good idea with the wounds we had. How it hurt as we howled with laughter but it did us the world of good. We watched each other attempt to sit up, to eat, to walk and we joked about it all. Of course at one point we all cried (when none of our families could see us) but we could support each other as we as we all knew what the other was going through.
I went back to work six weeks after the term began and last year, 8months post op ran the 2009 marathon. Oh it was hard but incredible. My tired body crossed the finish line after 6 hours and 20 mins, having raised over £3000 for the breast cancer campaign. It was the most amazing feeling. Did I think I would EVER run it again...NO. But time is a healer and as I heard of more women I knew being diagnosed with breast cancer I knew I wanted to raise more money for them. This time though I decided I wasn’t going to do it alone and my darling Andy agreed (without hesitation) to run it with me. With a better time hoped for than over 6 hours! And this time you get two for one :)
Andy said he had never felt so traumatised and terrified in his life as when we had my diagnosis and that if we could do anything to help raise money and stop this cancer that rips apart families and takes away Mothers, sisters and daughters from their families then we should.
For those of you who know Andy will know he hadn’t run as far as the front door before (he is a golfer!! and so a walker). We train regularly which is hard going for us as we are not natural runners. The time it takes each week is difficult to fit in with working fulltime and trying to parent 11 children and look after 3 manic labradoodles!! But to gain you have to make sacrifices and so that is what we are prepared and happy to do. Sometime this means running at 10.30 at night and leg pain is dire but it will be worth it.
The breast cancer campaign are incredible. Their logo is a jigsaw piece. Just one piece of the puzzle left to cure breast cancer. I believe that will happen. I can’t think any other way. For like many of you I have daughters, my Mum, sisters, a grandmother, my Aunts, cousins, friends, friends with daughters and the list goes on. I imagine that anyone reading this could name a relative, friend or neighbour who has had breast cancer.
And so the bit that of course is always difficult to ask, which is for you to donate. Your money you will not only help fight breast cancer but you will have the knowledge that Andy and I will be pounding around London for 26 miles and those all important 385 yards. I want..actually no its more than that, I NEED to make a difference and I so hope you will too. It really doesn’t matter how much or little you donate because every bit counts and the fab part is you can donate from anywhere around the world. Also your messages of support mean so much. All the money that is donated goes directly to The Breast Cancer Campaign and they can start using it for their important work straight away. Below is the important part from justgiving
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. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Andy and I still have dreams of growing old together and watching our amazing family grow up. I want this dream to be a certainty so very much. If the fight against breast cancer can be won than all women who have had breast cancer can look forward to a bright future. How wonderful that would be.
Andy and I are running for all women everywhere and for all the men who love them.
Take care
Vicki and Andy Parnell
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow x x
