Help to beat cancer.

Thank you for visiting my Shine fundraising page in support of Cancer Research UK. Please dig deep and sponsor me – it’s quick, easy and totally secure.Amazing people like you help support Cancer Research UK’s research to get new treatments to patients faster. By sponsoring me you can help more people survive cancer, I still and always will have the same motivation so thanks for those that have sponsored me in the past, don’t feel you have to again, but every penny counts thanks so much as always eternally grateful.

I was 11 when I first heard about cancer, my beautiful friend Julie died on the 1st of October of what should have been the start of our second year at the big school.

She had been off school ill most of the summer term, of our first year in the big school, so I hadn't seen her much before she died, but I still remember the last time we played together that summer during the holidays. 

I can't remember all of the circumstances but we were both at our friend Richard's house who's mum was out, so for some reason we all decided it was a brilliant idea to pile loads of cushions and duvets and pillows at the bottom of the stairs and then proceeded to spend the afternoon flinging ourselves from the top of the stairs to the bottom, it was hilarious, in my memory we were doing back flips from the banisters but maybe that's just how happy we all were that afternoon!

I don't know if many 11 year old's get to do things like that anymore or even want to... but we had a hysterical time and I was really lucky to have that really joyful summers day to remember her by, as it was only a few months later I attended my first funeral...hers, she was buried only two days later on Friday the 3rd of October, it was all so surreal, to this day I still remember her often.

She was and still is in mine and everyone who was fortunate to have met hers memory an amazing person, so clever, bright, beautiful and kind and made such an impact to so many people's lives in such a short time, and I am a better person for having had the privilege to have met her, she made a huge impact in such a short time.

I remember the sunset that night she died, I remember standing in my bedroom in Belfast looking over the back of the king's hall to the mountains, where the sun was setting, it was blood red it was amazing and I always always think of her when I see an out of this world sunset, I think it's her calling card, and particularly at this time of year her anniversary.  

So it is particularly fitting that October is Cancer Awareness Month. I was 11 the first time I heard about cancer but unfortunately it was not the last time.

We all raised money for cancer research that year at my school, particularly my year and my class, quite fanatically to a certain point, I think that we were all felt so helpless and useless against such a pointless disease, we would do anything we could to be constructive.  

We all have been touched by cancer and unfortunately still will but if you have chance to please do anything you can to raise funds for supporting cancer charities I urge you…and together we can all make a difference to finding away to manage these little dividing cells that can divide us from our loved ones and the lives we deserve to live.

They say cancer affects one in three of us, I don't know how that is true... I can't imagine anyone who isn't affected by cancer so please let's do as much as we can I can't think of anything else that everyone has in common and especially for such sad reasons so please help/contribute/fundraise wherever you can, I couldn't bear to even count how many of my friends and family and their families have left us far too early, but each and everyone of you has made such an impact on us and me, that you have to go on and do as much as you can and carry on being the best you can be thanks to them.

Thank you to everyone that donates and also more importantly to the people that we love and honour and have touched our hearts that are no longer with us, you have left more than footprints on our hearts.

Every pound you donate really does make a difference towards the work into diagnosing and treating cancer – so please sponsor me now!

Gift Aid it!

If you are a UK taxpayer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box when donating as this will increase your donation by at least 25% at no cost to you.

Many thanks in advance,

Angela Murphy

Let’s beat cancer sooner.

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