It’s been five years since my husband Neil was diagnosed with Myeloma (a type of blood cancer), and four years since I ran my last marathon to raise money for Myeloma UK.  Afterwards I swore I was never putting myself through the ordeal again, and threw in my proverbial marathon running towel.

However, choosing to avoid an ordeal isn’t possible for Neil. We found out in September 2021 that he had relapsed and he’s been on continuous chemo treatment since, culminating in his second stem cell transplant this February. He’s approached it all with his usual pragmatism, positivity and a dash of good humour.  So, I thought the least I could do was put one foot in front of the other and try and raise some cash for Myeloma UK and their work supporting patients, families and critical research to find a cure.

I’ll be running The Tissington Trail Marathon, a lovely (but challenging!) route in the Peak District and not too far from our new home in Derbyshire. The trail itself is a popular cycle route, but wheels are for wimps ;-)

It’s on the same date as the TCS London Marathon, is just as long, but arguably tougher. It’s a trail run rather than road run, and there won’t be thousands of supporters lining the route to cheer me and my couple of hundred fellow participants along. BUT, I’ll be giving it my very best shot to get round, ideally without complaining, just like Neil who never grumbles in the face of adversity. 

We know money is tight at the moment, but we’d both be ever so grateful if you could spare a couple of quid for this excellent charity. They’re the only organisation solely dedicated to Myeloma research, patient information and advocacy, so very important to us.Thank you. X

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