Well, I have decided to run the New York marathon in November in aid of Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and have managed to convince my husband to join me.

No, this wasn’t a decision made after a few too many pints that we could shrug off the next morning and hope the other one may have forgotten. This was a conversation we had at the start of the year about really pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones to raise money for a cause that is really close to so many people. 

As most of you will know, I lost my wonderful mum to cancer, just one week before her 42nd birthday. I was only 5 and a half at the time and couldn’t possibly fathom the immense loss and devastation of her passing so young which would echo through the rest of my life.

My mothers battle with cancer lasted less than 2 years but she fought as best she could and looked for as many possible treatment options in the hopes of prolonging her life not wanting to say goodbye to her very young children. Not only was she a loving mother, she was a successful businesswoman with three hair salons and widely known for her cutting edge creativity. She left such an impact on those who knew her and is still talked about with such love and admiration to this day.

My hope is that the story of losing a parent so young to cancer won’t be a common one. 

Tragically my uncle, Sean O’Neill died from cancer in February of this year. He fought this terrible disease with dignity and optimism. Much like my mother. These two were inseparable growing up and were the closest of siblings. Sean is a man whose legacy lives on through his wonderful family and the Faughanvale community of which he was immensely proud of and completely immersed in. His drive, his selflessness and his care for others is an inspiration to me as it was and is to countless others. 

I have seen first hand the incomprehensible devastation that this disease causes and I really hope to be around one day when the cure for cancer eventually comes. And it will.

Unfortunately, we now know that 1 in 2 of us is likely to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives. Although massive strides have been made through investment into cancer research, we can still do so much in order to ensure earlier detection which will lead to an earlier diagnoses and hopefully a much better prognosis for cancer patients

I have been speaking with the charity, Cancer Focus NI in detail in order to understand where the fundraising money goes and have heard so many wonderful success stories of families in NI which have benefited from this charity. Any fundraising that we achieve through running this marathon will go straight to the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology (CCRCB) in Queen’s University Belfast directly. This means that anyone battling cancer in Northern Ireland will benefit.

Ok, so a little bit more lightheartedness now! In terms of long distance running, I was never a fan.

The Geordie in my life basically dragged me out running one day and it was nearly enough to make me question my choices there and then!

I have always trained and been relatively sporty, but with asthmatic lungs which I unfortunately didn’t ‘grow out of’, long distance running was pretty far down my list of enjoyable exercises.

However, during lockdown the Geordie and I continued to run together when we could, mostly tag-teaming as we usually have a house full of kids. 

So over the last few years, I’ve finally started to enjoy running and continue to work on my pace and fitness. During lockdown we completed Liverpools virtual half marathon and had so much craic along the way. I feel really lucky to be able to run alongside him in this latest feat. Here’s hoping we are still friends by the end of it! 

Killian, our latest addition to the clan will be coming with us (an 8 hour flight with a toddler and no alcohol - wish us luck!) thankfully my sister Mary is coming also to cheer us on, babysit and share in some eagerly anticipated NY Pizza post marathon. 

Our busy lives make training for this challenge even more daunting so any donation at all, no matter how big or small will spur us on and help raise money for this magnificent cause.

Thank you,

Clare & Lee