I am running the London Marathon 2021 in October, for Cornwall Hospice Care. Please sponsor me if you can!

It has been a lifetime ambition of mine to complete the London Marathon. When I was 9, my Dad started taking me running in the woods behind my house, I wasn't that good at it and promptly got distracted by Sonic the Hedgehog and Pulp! Fast forward to 2010 and my Dad got sick. I started to run to help me with my mental health and after he died in 2012, running really helped me with the grieving process. Since then I completed a few half marathons in memory of my Dad, which made me realise how tough a full marathon would be! 

In 2019, we moved to Cornwall and I started work as a Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist at Royal Cornwall Hospital. As a doctor caring for people with cancer, I am fully aware how vital Cornwall Hospice Care is for our community. There are only two hospices in the entire county both of which are run by Cornwall Hospice Care. They only receive 20% of their funds from NHS commissioners  which means they are reliant on charity donations to keep their essential services running. They not only support patients and families with end of life care but give support and therapy for those suffering from the side-effects of cancer treatments. Fund raising has become particularly difficult due to COVID-19 and yet their services are even more crucial in the pandemic. I have seen first hand the exceptional care they have provided for my patients and I wish to support them through my London Marathon 2021 challenge. 

I will be running in memory of my wonderful Dad, in memory of my friend Danni and in honour of my patients and all of those affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.