On the 3rd May 2017 I found myself sat in a small hospital room on the A&E Observation section of the RUH in Bath with my Mum and Dad. The day before my Mum had collapsed at work and was admitted to under go futher tests. Later that day on the 3rd May we would have our worlds turned upside down. 

Mum had a brain tumour, the good news was it was operable the bad news it was highly likely to be Cancerous (and it was) especially given she had previously battled Breast Cancer in 2011. On the 25th May 2017 the tumour was removed and Mum being Mum was skipping her way back out of hospital a mere 3 days after her 8 hour operation. 

When you're in A&E watching people's worlds being changed in a heartbeat it makes you do slightly crazy things, my crazy thing if not slightly encouraged by my dad was to enter the London Marathon but much like 330,000 other people it was not to be. But the idea of running a marathon didn't leave me. 

Sadly there was more bad news to come, after a routine scan at the end of September it showed the tumour had come back but could again be operated but was wider and deeper into her brain. 

On Thursday 19th October 2017 Mum underwent another 8 hours of surgery and once again surprised doctors by being able to skip her way out of hospital just 3 days later. 

I decided that if she can go through that with a smile on her face and a determination of the most stubborn Mule not to let it stop her doing anything she wants then I could definitely get my little legs to run 26.2 miles. However the more I thought about it the more somehow I didn't think me dragging myself around a marathon was a true reflection of her fight and strength so I have decided to try and match her Operations with Races. 

On the 4th March 2018 I will run the Bath Half Marathon as a nod to her Mastectomy back in 2011

On the 15th April 2018 I will run the Brighton Marathon as a nod to her first brain surgery operation 

and

On the 20th May 2018 I will run the Windermere Marathon around Lake Windermere as a nod to her hopefully last and most recent brain surgery.

We have agreed that in the future if she could keep any more operations to something like an ingrowing toe nail that would be lovely....probably just a 5k run worth!

We have had a long chat about who to raise money for as Mum wants to give something back to the people that have helped her, which are many! But she has decided on:

Breast Cancer NOW who fund research into treatments and causes.

Southmead Hospital Bristol who have worked wonders with their scapels and aftercare and are raising funds towards 2 new surgerical robots for prostate cancer operations - In mums words "it's not all about us Women" 

and Finally where it all started in 2011

RUH in Bath who are raising funds for a new and specialised cancer centre.