I hit 40, had a mid life crisis and wrote a bucket list. The word marathon kept cropping up, this was something that needed a concerted effort and plenty of motivation.

The story and journey of Rose Allocca her brother Felix and her parents Charlotte and Simon, who are some of our oldest friends, provided the inspiration I needed. Rose was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma just after her 6th birthday and spent the best part of the next 3 years fighting it. The strength, courage and optimism the whole family, but particularly Rose showed was remarkable. We have shared much laughter and tears in the 2 years since we lost Rose but her memory lives on - so many calories have been burnt in her memory, and I want to continue this!

Primary bone cancer is rare and can affect people of all ages but it is a young person's disease, the largest peak for diagnosis is between the ages of 10 and 24. The most common symptoms are pain, possibly a swelling around the affected area and sometimes problems with movement of a joint. Bone pain may come and go at first and then become more persisitent, especially at night. Bone cancer can be detected by plain X-ray.

The Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) is aiming to build awareness of symptoms and hence early diagnosis; the Trust was set up by a group of bereaved parents in 2006 and has grown extremely fast since then operating as a registered charity.  BCRT relies entirely on voluntary donations and provides information and support to families and sufferers as well as to the general public. Since 2006 BCRT has funded 27 different research topics, with that work being published and presented in International Journals and Meetings.