Cancer.

There’s no other word capable of inciting as much fear into a person in a single moment. Luckily for us, when we heard that Mum had cancer in November 2012 it was followed by assurances that they had caught it early, and after an operation and 6 months of chemotherapy, Mum was given the all clear at the end of last year, which was a huge relief to the family. Still, there is nothing that can prepare you for hearing that your Mum has cancer and seeing her go through chemo.

Throughout her treatment, Mum had invaluable help and support from Macmillan nurses who advised her on nutrition and necessary dietary changes. The Macmillan Oncology Dieticians were always at the end of the phone if Mum needed any advice. Without their support, there is no doubt that the experience would have been much worse. Mum says: “The advice they gave me helped me through some particularly difficult periods during my treatment”.

As well as their support to Mum, a very close friend has had the terrible experience of having both parents diagnosed with cancer at the same time. The Macmillan nurses made Jess’ mum’s life easier by helping with the everyday things, like makeup tips and ordering wigs. Celia says “the Macmillan nurses were more than happy to take whatever time you needed to explain or go over what the consultants had said and answer any questions you had.”

The Macmillan team are invaluable to people undergoing cancer treatment, and I am excited to be raising money for such an amazing cause. The Macmillan nurses are there to make sure no one faces cancer alone, being there from diagnosis all through treatment and beyond. They are a constant source of support for sufferers and their families and give the energy and inspiration to help cancer sufferers take back control of their lives. Almost everyone will know someone affected by cancer at some point in their life so this truly is an incredible charity to support.

Running the London Marathon is going to be a huge challenge for me. I started running in January 2013 after my sister signed me up for a 10k to raise money for the hospital where mum was undergoing treatment. I enjoyed it (ish!), so signed up for the Surrey Half Marathon in March this year, and also completed the Richmond Half Marathon in September, as well as a few smaller 5ks along the way. So despite the fact I have been running only 2 years, I am now signed up to my very first marathon. This is not a challenge I’m taking lightly, and I will be training really hard for this over the next 6 months. Knowing that I am running for such an amazing cause is going to be an incentive for all the training I will be doing and actually getting round the 26.2 miles!

I am so privileged to be raising money for such an amazing and personally relevant cause, so please give generously!

Thank you so much,

Alix xx 

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