Hi, I'm Nicola. Mum to a GymBob - Eliza Stewart. In 2013, whilst I was pregnant with Eliza, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. My full story is below this introduction, but in a nut shell I want to mark 5 years of remission with raising as much money as I can for The Christie. One way that I will be doing this is by running 5 marathons in 2018. I did my first of 2018 (my 6th altogether) in Seville at the end of February. It was fantastic. However, I'm not content with just raising money, I want to raise awareness of how looking after our health and fitness is an investment in our future health. I was a runner prior to being poorly and my oncologist told me it certainly helped my recovery that I was as fit as the proverbial butcher's dog. I have a team of runners and walkers who have pledged to raise money for The Christie this year, under my team - Nicola's Christie Soldiers. Eliza was in the first batch of Tumble Tots in Tottington and it still remains one of her favourite things to do. Earlier this year, Carla, Leanne and the fabulous Tumble Tots Bolton & Bury team approached me and told me that they wanted to support me and fundraise for The Christie this year too, as it was an important charity for them too. The team have been integral in Eliza's development both physically and in gaining self confidence so it feels fantastic that they want to help us even further.

The more I talk to people the more people I discover have been touched by the amazing work that The Christie do. Any donation  - small and large - will make a genuinely make a difference to past, present and future patients at The Christie.

2018...5 years on from the worse day of our lives...

In 2018 I will hopefully be discharged from The Christie, following my diagnosis and what is proving to be successful treatment of cervical cancer in 2013. To mark this occasion I plan to run 5 marathons in 2018, one for each year of remission. I was supported by numerous charities including Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support and my marathons in 2015 and 2016 raised money to go a little way to repay them. In 2018 I want to raise money for The Christie. 

A little about The Christie and why it's so special...

The Christie is a place that no one ever wants to be, but we are especially thankful that it was there when I needed it. It began as a 30 bed hospital in the early 1890s and is now the largest single site cancer centre in Europe. It treats more than 44,000 patients each year. It is renowned as a world pioneer in the care, treatment and research of cancer. Today's work at The Christie is tomorrow's treatment across the globe. In 1901 The Christie saw the world's first use of x-ray to treat cancer. Now it has one of the world's largest radiotherapy departments and 60% of all cancer patients receive radiation as part of their treatments.The chemotherapy unit is the largest in the UK, and they also have 10 other sites, a mobile unit and can deliver chemotherapy in the patient's home. The Christie is one of the top hospitals providing patients with opportunities of clinical research studies. I took part in a study on the side effects of pelvic radiotherapy. The results of this study will help doctors understand how better to assist pelvic radiotherapy patients in the future. The Christie works with The University of Manchester & Cancer Research UK and has a new research facility building opposite the main hospital site. This centre is the home of ground breaking research that gives hope to people who have exhausted their treatment options. 

Important...

For every £1 The Christie Charitable Fund is given, 82p is spent on one of 4 areas - Care & Treatment, Research, Education or Extra Patient Services. 

Running marathons...

So why would anyone choose to run 5 marathons in one year? Well, running is just what I do. I was a runner before diagnosis. I was a runner during my months of treatment at The Christie. I am a runner now. I have completed 5 marathons over the last 5 years; 4 since the worst day of my life in March 2013. The most marathons I have run in any 12 month period is 2. The commitment to training and the motivation is hard to keep up with, especially with looking after 3 kids, 1 dog, a husband, volunteering and studying. However, celebrating what I hope will be a significant year for me by doing some epic running seems a fitting way to mark it. It will be a genuine privilege to be alive and experience the emotions and pain that running a marathon brings. 

Will you join me and be in my Christie Soldiers team?

Many, many people have asked me for running advice from starting off to increasing mileage; or told me that I inspired them to take up running or to start looking after their health...so I want to find people who will pledge to run a race which frightens them and raise money, in celebration of my 5 years, for The Christie. I'm not asking for big commitments for fundraising. I think most people would be able to find sponsorship for £50 without having to ask too many people?

If you would like to join my team of Christie Soldiers, find a race which will challenge you. That race could be 5km, 10km, 10 miles, half marathon, full marathon, ultra marathon, a Santa Dash - anything which is a personal challenge for you. If you want advice on finding an event, I can help you look for one. If you want advice on starting to run - I can help with that too.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.