Thank you for stopping by. Please donate to this crazy-ass thing I'm doing.

I lost my darling Mum in September to breast cancer. She was 62, and only 4 days into her retirement when she was diagnosed. From that day, she had no idea she had 55 days left to live. She had no symptoms beforehand, and the tumour that had spread cancer so aggressively around her body was only about 2cm across. It didn't show up on a mammogram, and you couldn't feel or see it from the outside. There was no cure.

My whole family misses her in everything we do. 

I long for a day when families can experience that diagnosis, and the doctor will say, "Not to worry, we have a cure for that. Everything will be okay". 

In grief I started hitting the gym pretty hard. It was like therapy. When my body hurt, it quietened the pain in my heart, for a short while at least.

I asked for a challenge from my PT. He suggested White Collar Boxing. I said "No". I'm a life coach and a total flowers-in-my-hair pacifist. I had this idea that boxing was a violent sport, and in any case it was way, WAY outside my comfort zone, and well outside of my fitness capabilities too.

Then I saw they were raising money for Cancer Research, and without thinking it through too hard, signed up.

I've had lots of moments I've regretted that decision. The training has been hard. Controlled calories, protein powder, fractured hand, broken calf, pinched nerves, tendon shock, constant aching with no let-up, not to mention I keep getting punched, unsurprisingly! And all this before the 'official' training begins... 

Some unexpected lessons have come too - boxing isn't about violence or anger at all, rather tactics, discipline, and wit. I've certainly come to respect it as a sport, although I confess I still completely suck at punching another human being... I keep stopping to check they're okay. It's a wrinkle I'd better iron out before fight night!

Wow. Every time I think of the 17th April, the adrenaline is horrible. I keep reminding myself it's just nothing compared with what someone diagnosed with cancer goes through.

I've set my fundraising target pretty high, but when you realise it's £10 for every day my Mum had between diagnosis and death, it seems far too small. Please help me to smash it.

Sending you all huge love, and heartfelt thanks,

Lucy x

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