Hello :) 

Just by clicking the link, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page. I really hope you will consider sponsoring me so you can help me raise money for Cancer Research to help find cures for cancer and save lives in the future.

For those who know me well, they will know that I am not the most sporty person, running is definitely not something I have done often. I think I have been on less than 10 runs in my life, HOWEVER that is all about to change! I have now started my training (in March) for the Great North Run and I am determined to do the GNR properly - more so to prove my mum wrong who laughed when I told her I was going to do the GNR!

The Backstory

My beautiful mum was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, however typical Mum took it in her stride and just got on with things. Dad and I were the ones who struggled to cope, and ironically, she was the one who would support us and help us cope (it seems selfish looking back!), that's just the sort of amazing person she was. She had her operation and various treatments (including chemotherapy) and around a year later she was in remission. We were over the moon! 

Just after her diagnosis, Mum and Dad had moved house, so by this point they were settled and their lives were perfect... soon to be made more exciting by the arrival of Lily the puppy! Mum's hair grew back as soon as she finished her chemotherapy and, to be honest, we all moved past the cancer and it was as if it had never happened! 

From 2012-2016, we had some lovely holidays and made lots of fantastic memories... Mum and I cycling around Central Park is possibly one of my favourites! Possibly even Mum's face when Dad presented his new American flag scarf purchase - priceless!

Sadly, in June 2016, Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer.  It was something none of us saw coming. Typically, Mum made light of the situation, joking that at least she knew it wasn't all the food she had been eating that had caused her tummy to bloat! Again, that just sums Mum up. Always taking the positive outlook.

In July 2016 she had her operation which went really well, Dad and I celebrated by having lots of prosecco that evening! Again, we were feeling positive about the future, looking forward to things going back to how they had been before. She had some time afterwards to recover in hospital, and unsurprisingly, on the day she was released from hospital, she was waltzing around York looking for a restaurant to eat in! We were so happy to have our mum back to normal. We had around a month to do some lovely things before her chemotherapy started, we stayed in some lovely cottages, ate lots of food (drank lots of wine!) and just had a wonderful time.

Her chemotherapy, which was a much stronger, aggressive treatment than her last one, started in September, however as we had been through this before, we were feeling positive. I went to her chemotherapy sessions and she would have me sent off to collect magazines and a nice lunch each time - always having her priorities right! 

By November, after around 3/4 sessions of chemotherapy, we were told it wasn't working and the cancer was spreading around her body. At this point, we were told she only had a short time left, specifically around a few weeks.

I cannot describe the devastation we felt, to be told that our best friend, our mum had such little time left was like having our hearts wrenched out of our chest. 

I won't describe the final weeks as they were not happy times for my Dad and I, but I am just so grateful that we could spend everyday during those final few weeks with her. One thing that I will mention is that she still managed to have a short shopping trip at the hospice shop one afternoon, picking up lots of things to buy for people! Again, having her priorities right with her shopping, but more importantly, thinking of others - as she always did. In addition to this, I had told her I had decided to run the Great North Run - her response? She laughed, I don't think she believed I would go through with it!

I was torn as to who I wanted to raise money for, however I felt that the most important thing for me is that we find cures for all cancers, so people don't have to die from it. In the future I hope that we don't have to die from anything other than old age. I wouldn't want anybody to have to die the way my mum did and this is one way that I can contribute to help that happen.

Thank you for reading this, please make a donation so I can achieve this goal. 

Amanda Wilson 26/12/16, aged 56.

I love you Mummy x