“LouLou you are a true inspiration to all us lesser mortals who have had the privilege of you touching our lives.  I can’t imagine the determination that you have had to muster to get yourself through all the training necessary for one marathon, let alone the equivalent 3 ½ marathons that you have set your sights on.  What is more humbling still is the fact that you have also wrestled and overcome your own health challenges, providing the motivation for brother Rory to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. Thank you from the depths of my heart for using both Drusilla’s story and my story to inspire others to take action over the health of themselves and of others.  You were placed on this earth as an angel.  Big kisses.  Nick xxx.

Cancer.  The word no one wants to hear, the word that leaves you feeling as though a thin cold film has been dropped on you and makes you gasp in shock and your head fill with pins and needles.

Well, at least this was how I felt when I was told that two very close friends of mine had been diagnosed with cancer.  The first was Drusilla Felbeck, my godson Henry’s mother, three years ago.  The second, more recently was my other godson, Archie’s father, and my ‘cousin’, Nick Parker.

I met Drusilla when I started teaching Henry at nursery school.  I remember when I first saw him- standing on his own with a look of complete terror on his face.  I took him under my wing and from then on he never left my side.  I became such good friends with Paul and Drusilla that I was given the job as Henry’s bodyguard aka chief babysitter.  We all became such good friends that I was seen as ‘part of the family’.     

Three years ago Drusilla was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma, a very rare and aggressive form of cancer that forms in the soft muscular wall of organs and one which doctors and scientists are struggling in vain to find an effective treatment for.  Drusilla did everything she could to stay around for as long as possible, showing enormous amounts of courage, strength and determination (she even managed to climb 60 flights of stairs to the sumit of Sigirya Rock in Sri Lanka)!!  She was admitted to hospital in July and passed away peacefully on 9th August 2015.  Drusilla was one of a kind; so kind, generous, warm and selfless- she touched so many people’s hearts and was the
voice of reason.

Nick is the guy who you always hope you end up sitting next to at the dinner table; the one that when you hear he will be at a party, you know you will have a good time.  No task is too small; no job is too big when it comes to Nick.  

Just before Christmas last year, Nick was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  After further tests he was told that he had stage 4 cancer and that it had spread to his bones.  This was a huge shock- Nick who was so healthy and fit, how can he have cancer?  Instead of diving into a void of self-pity, Nick, Sus, Harry, Johnnie and Archie are being incredibly positive.  Nick is on a mission to make himself invincible, going full pelt into designing a completely new diet for himself.  Out goes alcohol, gluten, sugar and red meat and in goes chia seeds, goji berries and endamame pasta.  It has definitely helped- a ‘normal’ PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) score for a man his age is 3.  When he was first diagnosed it was 625 and now it is 3.78!!

My mission is to raise a whopping £5000 for Cancer Research in memory of Drusilla and to give Nick that little extra push for when times get tough.  I would be enormously grateful if you could help make that happen.

The challenge:

Kingston 10K DONE

Hampton Court Half Marathon DONE

Bath Half Marathon 13^th March DONE

Kingston Breakfast Run 16.2 miles 3^rd April DONE

Virgin London Marathon 24^th April (2 days after Drusilla’s birthday)

Blenheim Half Marathon 2^nd October

And maybe some more-  watch this space!

Thank you so much,

Louisa

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