This year I was lucky enough to be chosen to run the London Marathon 2̶0̶2̶0̶  2022 on behalf of Anthony Nolan. It’s a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, Anthony Nolan matches incredible individuals willing to donate stem cells or bone marrow to people with blood cancer and blood disorders who desperately need life saving transplants. 

For those of that don't know already, the work Anthony Nolan do is deeply important to me. I was 11 on the 2nd March 2003, when my little world was turned upside down. For the next 3.5 years, life was a bit different - a balancing act of school, chemo and trying to lead as normal a life as possible amongst all the uncertainty. I'm so so grateful for my friends and family during this time - we were able to get through it together.

I was lucky. I was lucky that my leukaemia was treatable using chemotherapy, and there was never an inkling that I would need a stem cell transplant. However, so many others aren’t so fortunate. I’m running the London marathon in memory of all those that were unable to receive the transplant they needed, in the hope that I raise awareness and funds for Anthony Nolan to continue to save lives.

I’ve been volunteering with Anthony Nolan for the past 9 years, throughout university and my career so far. I’ve spent most of my time persuading people to join the register, in the hope that they might be a match for someone that needs it. However, it costs Anthony Nolan £40 for each new addition to the register (it’s free for the person registering). Knowing this, I thought it was about time that I did some fundraising too!

I’ve set myself an ambitious target, £6,266. That will be £1 for every day since my leukaemia diagnosis until the 2020 London marathon date (25th April 2020), for every day I’ve had to make a difference. I’d really appreciate anything you could contribute towards that. No amount is too small. 

I’m really excited about the idea of running the London marathon. It’s twice as far as I’ve ever run before and I’ll soon be starting training (any tips much appreciated!). I’ll be doing plenty to raise money for it, so watch this space...

If you would like to find out more about Anthony Nolan, and how you can get involved, please visit www.anthonynolan.org for more information. Without you there is no cure.

Thanks for your support!

Love,

Ravi