In April 2019, I lost Con: my husband, my best friend and the future I’d always dreamt of, after a courageous 17 month brain tumour battle.  Our two children, Daisy and Rory, lost their most wonderful and loving daddy. Con was so special and meant the absolute world to us. He was kind, caring, considerate, generous, genuine, loving, loyal, funny and just an all-round good guy. The perfect gentleman. His passing has left a huge void in our lives. Although I knew it was coming, nothing could have prepared me for it. The moment he passed away, a part of me went with him.

But life goes on, and I know that Con would not want me sitting about all day, moping. Our children have always been and always will be our number one priority, and every day, their resilience and strength astounds me. Con lives on in them and every day, I can see and hear him: Daisy’s mouth, Rory’s lips and sallow skin, their stubbornness (though there’s definitely a bit of me there too!), Rory’s mischievous nature, Daisy’s love of performing, Rory’s cuddles, Daisy’s kindness, their sense of humour… the list goes on. I‘m so proud of them, and I know Con would be too.

The three of them are the reason I’m running the London Marathon 2020.  I was lucky enough to receive a golden bond charity place on my first attempt and am committed to raising much-needed funds for a charity close to our hearts.  I have pledged to raise £10,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity. A huge and ambitious amount. But with the love and support I have around me, I know this is possible. Our family were so overwhelmed with the support we received when we organised our own sponsored walk in 2018, and the massive amount raised of over £15,000 was testament to how well-loved and respected Con was world-wide.  The cricket clubs in Scotland have also raised a fabulous amount with various events, and Daisy, Rory and their 4 friends raised over £3,000 with their Twilight Walk in Edinburgh last month.

The Brain Tumour Charity continues to need our help. Every year, 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Nobody is immune. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. And only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. Since I lost Con, another friend has lost her battle to this cruel disease. More desperately needs to be done.

Con was known as “Fossil” by the Cricket Scotland boys, as he was the most senior player. But despite his older years, he always gave the younger ones a run for their money. He had an abundance of passion, drive, motivation, ambition and determination with everything he did. Qualities that I admittedly lack on occasion. Running a marathon is completely out of my comfort zone. But I am going to channel Con’s strengths and show our kids that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and put in the “hard yards”, as Con would say.

Prior to this, the furthest I’d ever run was 10km. But slowly and surely, I’m making progress. Winter training obviously has its downfalls, but when I start getting tired, feel an ache, it starts raining or is bitterly cold, I embrace it and think of Con. I hear him shout “Go Boy!” as he would do so passionately when he watched Scotland or the Springboks play rugby.  I think about how much he loved to keep fit and how much he would love to be able to take on this challenge. I think how lucky I am to be able to go out and run.  How lucky I am to be able to breathe the fresh air. How lucky I am to just be here. And this is what keeps me going.

In time, I hope to hold a raffle and some sort of auction, and with my love of eating cake, a bake-sale will surely take place at some point too.

If you could spare just a few pounds, I would be so grateful.

Con is forever in my heart and thoughts, and I feel so lucky that he chose me to love. I will always cherish the 15 years of memories I was so lucky to have with him.

Life is precious, so please go out there and do the things you love, with the people you love.

Thank you so much. ❤💫