I will be running the greater Manchester Marathon on April the second to raise money to help towards valerie coulsons Cancer Treatment. Val Is a close family friend who I have known all of my life and also my very good friends mother. I have taken the information about vals journey from a piece that her daughter linzi coulson wrote so excuse me as it's not in my own words.

In February 2014 my mum was diagnosed with stage three C primary peritanial cancer. We were informed this was an incurable diagnoses. She went on to have three sessions of chemotherapy followed by a major operation to remove the remaining cancer, and three more sessions of chemotherapy but was allergic to the form of chemotherapy that she needed for her cancer and therefore the sessions could last up that 9 hours as the nurses have to deliver the medicine slowly in line with an antihistamine in order for her body to accept it. If not she has severe allergic reactions causing her extreme pain and discomfort whilst also going into anaphylactic shock.

She was fortunate enough for a more positive outcome than initially expected, and went into remission for 20 months. Unfortunately in march 2016, we were informed the cancer was returning and were offered the opportunity to enroll upon a drugs trial which she did. She has been monitored throughout her time upon the trial but upon a recent visit to clinic at St. James Oncology, we were informed that she was to be removed from the trial as the cancer was now at a progressive stage and therefore immediate chemotherapy was required.

Through research that I have have conducted, the only drug that seems to have positive benefits for ovarian cancer is Bevacizumab (Avastin) which is now no longer funded by the NHS. Research states that it is estimated that over 2,500 women would benefit from Avastin every year. Avastin isn't a cure and I fully understand this but it can extend lives for up to two years and although the cost is between £40,000 and £50,000