Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page!

 

My friend, Rachel Parsons, and I met in 1997, when we both worked on board a Celebrity Cruise Ship, the M/V Galaxy. We immediately became great friends, spending most of our free time together.  After our contracts expired, she went home to the U.K. and I returned to the U.S. but we kept in touch over the years, sharing our lives with one another.

Rachel was registered to run the Bupa Great North Run in 2010, for the British Heart Foundation, in memory of her mum. While training for the run, Rachel learned that she had terminal stomach cancer.  Yet true to form, she was determined and happy that she would still run the half-marathon.  Rachel continued to train and keep her exhuberant personality throughout!  

Unfortunately, cancer overtook her body and she was unable to participate.  However, Rachel was so determined that she would run that it was only days before the event date that she knew that she had to withdraw.  Deeply saddened that she couldn't take part in the run, Rachel said that she felt that she had disappointed people.  Of course, she didn't disappoint anyone at all.  My heart still breaks because she felt that way. At that moment, I decided that I would travel from America to England to run the Bupa Great North Run, for her and her charity, no matter what it took. Sadly, Rachel passed in January 2011.

I'm very grateful to the British Heart Foundation for choosing me to be a part of the Heart Runners team. They have given me a gift and now I can give Rachel my gift. I'm running for her, in the same race and for the same charity that she was running for, to pick up where she had to leave off.  I hope to exceed my fundraising target for Rachel's chosen charity and make her very proud!

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.

Thank you so very much!!!

xoxo,

 Michelle