This morning my great aunt sadly passed away at the brilliant age of 91 after a short spell with cancer. She was one of the most brilliant women I know, and until less than a month ago she was waving her arms around conducting her orchestra! She would turn up at every concert in the Barber and Bramall in Birmingham on the off chance that I would be singing - driving around Birmingham at any age is bad enough, let alone when you're 90 and don't even know if your niece is going to appear! She had a fantastic life and I now have even more reason to run the Birmingham half and raise money for Macmillan, in memory of Joan and my grandad.

In May 2000 my grandad was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given 6 months to live. 10 years later he died of multiple myeloma. I'm running the half marathon for Macmillan and in memory of him because he taught me to never give up. He was physically fit and was incredibly strong mentally, and though eventually his fight came to an end he fought every step of the way. He showed me that you can make yourself strong through difficulties, however tiny or hard they may be.

 

On 13th August 2013 my great aunt sadly passed away at the brilliant age of 91 after a very short spell battling cancer. She had an absolutely brilliant life and this now gives me even more of a reason to run and raise money in her memory.

Macmillan helps people with cancer and their families every day, and any amount will make a difference, so please donate even the smallest amount of change. We all know someone affected by cancer, and we can help them fight until the end.

(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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.)