Thank you for visiting our Race for Life fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor us online.

I was diagnosed with bowel cancer 5 weeks after giving birth to my second little girl, Jasmine, in February 2007.  I had an operation followed by 6 months of chemotherapy.  Unfortunately, when my chemo finished in September 2007, a CT scan revealed that the cancer had spread to my liver and I was told that I was terminally ill and had less than a year left to live.  Fortunately, a wonderful surgeon, Prof Garden, from the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, decided to operate on me and I had a successful liver resection in November 2007.  Things seemed to be going well until January 2008 when I discovered another lump in my abdomen.  This was dismissed as just being stitching from my previous op and I was left for over 2 months without any treatment.  I pushed for an operation and in March 2008 I was given another op on my abdomen which revealed that the lump was cancerous and that the cancer had now spread into my peritoneum.  My surgeon from Edinburgh was going to take me back into hospital and operate again with the aim of removing any residual disease, but a subsequent CT scan revealed that the cancer had now spread into my lungs which meant that I could not be given an operation.  There is no cure.....but I'm still here and I'm still fighting...and enjoying every single day that I have with Stephen and our beautiful girls.

So what next?  On 24th April 2008, I had another operation to insert a portacath into my chest and I began chemotherapy the very next day, 25th April 2008.  We will just have to wait and see if the chemotherapy works this time so that I can hopefully have more time to spend with Stephen and our two amazing little girls.  However, if it wasn't for Cancer Research UK, there is a very good chance that I wouldn't have been alive to see Jasmine's first birthday or Poppy's third birthday.  Anyone who knows us as a family will understand when I say that Poppy and Jasmine are our lives.  There is no bravery here from me, it is the fear of not seeing my children grow up which pushes me every single second of every day to continue, no matter how difficult things may seem.  I want our girls to know that mummy never gave up and continued to fight this disease in every way she could.

This year my two gorgeous little girls will be running (or should I say walking, toddling...) round the course with me which will make the day even more special.

My husband Stephen is my constant and unwavering supporter and I don't know what we would do without him.  He is the best husband and daddy in the world and his three girls are so lucky to have him in our lives.  He will be waiting at the finishing line for us, supporting us as always xx.

I would also like to encourage everyone reading this page to take the time to go to Lynn Faulds Wood's website, www.bowelcancer.tv.  Since Lynn's own diagnosis of bowel cancer some 16 years ago, she spends most of her time unpaid working on cancer.  Since I was first diagnosed, Lynn has helped me enormously and continues to do so on an almost daily basis!! 

Events like Race for Life are an important way in which Cancer Research UK is able to fund its life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. By sponsoring me now you could help more people survive cancer.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me - Cancer Research UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, at least an extra 25% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you when you tick the Gift Aid box.

So please sponsor us now!

Many thanks for your support.

Margaret , Poppy and Jasmine McMahon xxx