My friend, Tash, her sister, Lisa, and their dad, Jim, lost their beloved mum and wife late last year. Liz was 64, fiercely proud of her family, seemingly fit as a fiddle - definitely in the glamourous Granny category - and was taken from them after a short but aggressive battle with cancer.

Liz's illness and her untimely death has made a huge impact on me and not just because I have seen my best friend's world tilt sideways. Liz was SO full of life, so gorgeous and so determined about everything. It still seems very shocking that she is gone and it made me realise that the old adage of "carpe diem" is so true. 

So, I have signed up to do something I never thought I would ever do. 120km of desert foot race, over 4 days, totally self-sufficient. Let's be honest, I'm doing it for my own life, to make me feel like I am doing something crazy but I would like to do it in Liz's memory. She loved running, at times I think it was source of great comfort to her.

In her last few days, The British Red Cross made it possible for her to go home and be surrounded by the people she loved the most. I know how unbelievably important this was to them, so I will be raising money for them so they can continue to help others.

From what I know, Liz did not complain about her lot, she did not moan, she did not allow those around her to lose hope and she did not, right to the end, give up. These are some things that I will think about as I am shuffling round the desert in the searing heat. Don't complain, don't moan and don't give up. I am pretty sure I'll fail on the first two but I don't plan on giving up!

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