I never imagined I would do the London Marathon once in my lifetime, let alone twice! But here I am, running again for SENSE, and hoping that this time, it isn’t the hottest marathon on record!

I am running to raise money in memory of my beloved, beautiful daughter, Harpreet.

On New Years Day 2013, Harpreet collapsed at home and sadly passed away in front of our eyes in her mother’s arms. She had suffered a brain haemorrhage and our lives were permanently changed in the space of 15 minutes. Harpreet had a very bright future ahead of her and was an A* student at Wolverhampton Girls' High School. She was so full of life and happiness. Her loss has been immeasurable and 9 years on, we are still trying to come to terms with it.

I pledged to raise money in her memory and chose running, as it was the sport I hated the most at school and so I knew it would truly be a challenge - the last time I remember running was 40 years ago! After a year of training, I successfully completed the Wolverhampton Half Marathon in 2014, managing to raise over £3,500 in the process.

Over the past 9 years, we have raised over £17,000 for the Harpreet Kaur Gakhal Trust. Proceeds have gone to the Neurosurgery Unit and Magnolia House Bereavement Centre at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I have also raised money for on-going therapy for Elle-Mae Davidson, Harpreet’s school friend who sadly also suffered a brain haemorrhage around the same time. In 2018 we raised over £8,000 for Sense. Last year we raised money for Sepsis Trust UK.

Fundraising for worthwhile causes was central to Harpreet’s selfless character and a fitting tribute to her generosity of spirit. In 2013, the first donations in Harpreet’s memory provided a deaf child with a cochlear implant at Pingalwara Orphanage in Amritsar, India. Choosing SENSE again for their work in improving the lives of those unable to communicate was an obvious choice. An added bonus is the colour orange which is a central theme for Sense and this resonated with Harpreet who loved Tigger! I was very honoured to be recognised by Sense and was nominated for the Fundraiser of the Year award in 2018.
As I prepare for my second London Marathon, I would be grateful for any donations you can make on behalf of Sense and in Harpreet’s memory.