Kerrie Farrell
Team Naomi London Marathon 2022
Fundraising for Naomi House Children’s Hospice (Wessex Children's Hospice Trust)
Story
Living with a life-threatening condition is much more than “battling the disease’.
It’s also about choosing the life you want to live in the circumstances. An awesome amount of maturity is needed to ‘live your best life’ when you’ve been dealt the toughest of hands. Which is why, when it happens to a child, it's hard to face. It is just too much.
It’s also about choosing the life you want to live in the circumstances. An awesome amount of maturity is needed to ‘live your best life’ when you’ve been dealt the toughest of hands. Which is why, when it happens to a child, it's hard to face. It is just too much.
Naomi House and Jacks Place don’t look away. When a young person comes through their door they look them in the eye and say ‘we’re going to be with you, for the good times, the challenging times, and the sad times.’I simply can’t think of more important work.
My nephew Conner lived with Muscular Dystrophy, a condition for which there is currently no cure, so he died in his mid twenties having lived with ever increasing disability his whole life. It was as cruel a thing as I have seen, for him and his family. Jacks Place was created acknowledging that, when no longer children, young people still have different needs when it comes to respite or end of life care. The support they offered Con and his family in his lifetime, and beyond it, is past valuing.
Conner was the definition of a hero. A gentle courageous lion of a man who lived with, but was not defined by his illness. I’ll be forever grateful to have known him, and for all he taught me.
Conner believed in love over judgement, every time you have the choice. He wanted us to choose love, and felt his life had purpose, despite its cruelty, if he left us knowing that. I remember that, and him, every day.
I planned to run the London Marathon on what would have been his birthday in 2020. But on returning from my longest training run of 20 miles I learnt that it had been cancelled due to the pandemic. At the time, it didn’t seem important in the scheme of things. I contacted those who had donated and everybody agreed to pass the sponsorship onto Naomi House anyway, who’s fundraising all had to be cancelled, and who worked tirelessly to keep their doors open for those in need.
But there are some things in life you have to go back for, and running this for Con is one of mine. So, with a slightly heavy heart, and an even heavier body I started marathon training again in January.
I’m not going to kid you on. I’m not built for long distance running. I’m built for a light stretch followed by coffee and cake. It’s been challenging climbing this mountain again and I’m really looking forward to crossing that finish line on October 2nd.
Times are tough, and some of you may have already given. I get that and thank you. But it didn’t get any easier doing this vital work over the last couple of years. Naomi House held my place but it would mean the world to me to be able to raise some money for them. I’ll never repay the debt. But I’d like to help. If you can please donate, however big or small. And above all - choose love. It’s better that way. Thanks Con. X
