Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

25th April: today I'm running the Marathon.  Months of training, hundreds of miles later and I'm running the marathon today.  Thanks to everyone who has donated - I'm pleased to have raised so much for Macmillan through your generosity!! It's for a great cause.  I will update you all on my completion time.  If you search for the marathon tracker time online, I think adidas have made one available.  My running number is 4769 to look out for me or to follow me online!!!!

Thanks again to everyone! I really really appreciate it! xx

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Four years on from my New York Marathon adventure, I'm back for more!  In an effort to prove that 30 is still young, I've taken on the challenge of the London Marathon and was lucky enough to get a much coveted ballot place.  I've chosen to support 2 charities through this marathon in the hope that my efforts in training for and running 26.2 miles will bring some much needed cash to two very good causes.

One of those charities is Macmillan Cancer Support.  I've chosen this charity as my boyfriend's mum has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer and she is going through this treatment whilst I am training for this marathon.  It's tough to watch someone go through chemotherapy and difficult to know what to do to be of help or make things better.  I know too many people have loved ones who are/have been affected by one form of cancer or another, and both my Grandfathers died of cancer.  Macmillan Cancer Support provide fantastic support - practical, medical, financial and emotional - to everyone facing such a difficult time in their lives. To me, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support seemed like the best way of trying to help people affected by all different types of cancer.  Macmillan nurses are especially trained to help patients, their carers and families throughout their experience of cancer by providing pain and symptom relief, information about cancer treatments and side effects, provide an opportunity to discuss problems, feelings and future plans and offer advice to other members of the caring team.  

How does your money help?

£10 - pays for 20 copies of The Cancer Guide. This Macmillan Booklet is extremely helpful and helps people recently diagnosed with cancer, and their families, to understand cancer, its treatment and the help available .

£24 - pays for a Macmillan physiotherapist for an hour

£51 - buys a liquidiser for someone who can't eat solid food as a result of their cancer treatment

£68 - runs a typical small Macmillan Information and Support Centre for an hour

£100 - enables the Macmillan Benefits Helpline to help people affected by cancer to claim £2,691 in benefits to which they are entitled

£156 - runs Macmillan Cancerline for an hour. This provides, on average, 13 people affected by cancer with essential information and support.  In peak hours, the Cancerline receives, on average, 76 calls per hour

£350 - pays for a convalescent break for someone with cancer and their carer

£918 - funds a Macmillan Nurse for a working week

£3,333 - keeps a Macmillan cancer information and support centre stocked with all the information resources it needs to support people affected by cancer for a year

Let's see how many of these we can raise money for - I appreciate the support you're giving me to help Macmillan Cancer Support.  I'll update my page regularly with my progress.