Important update

On 19th April 2020, I was due to participate in the Brighton Marathon in aid of the Pilgrims hospice . However, due to the Covid Pandemic, this was postponed initially to September, then April 2021 and now September 2021. As my friends and family know, I had Covid in June  and as a result, I now use a steroid inhaler twice a day. The maximum I have ran since is 10 miles!

I have given Brighton Marathon a great deal of thought and regrettably have decided to withdraw my entry as I no longer feel I could physically manage 26 miles. I feel extremely bad as I have received some very generous donations and that is why I propose to complete 50 miles in one month - I hope my friends and family will understand this decision . 

In case people have forgotten the reason why I was running;  my work colleagues and I were devastated by the death of Sue Thorne, a well-loved colleague who bravely fault pancreatic cancer until she sadly lost her battle in September 2019. She was 59 years old and had been talking about taking her retirement before her diagnosis in June 2019. During her treatment, Sue and her family received enormous support from the Pilgrims hospice at Ashford. Initially, this was as an outpatient before being admitted for the last few days of her life. I don’t think any of her work colleagues will ever forget the impromptu party the hospice allowed us to hold there with only a couple of hours notice. In Sue’s eyes it was her farewell party with her friends. 

Therefore, I decided to run in Sue’s memory for the Pilgrims hospice, who provide specialist palliative care services to patients through inpatient and day care, clinics , support at home from teams of community nurses and a 24-hour helpline. The Pilgrims hospice is a charitable organisation and relies on the money that is donated in order to keep going. Furthermore, I think it is a charity that everyone, sadly and at some stage, has had some involvement with, either through their own friends or family. I honestly don’t think their are words to describe how truly amazing the  Pilgrims Hospice and their staff members  are and the level of support and dedication they show their patients and families. 

 Thank you for taking the time to read this important update Pauline x