I thought I was living my healthiest, fittest life in 2021. Until I wasn't.

In hindsight, the long years and months of never-ending fatigue, uncomfortable night sweats, and incessantly itchy legs, were all telling me that something was wrong. It's very easy to pass things off though, with tiredness coming from a long day at work, or your skin being irritated because it's too hot or you've used the wrong type of softener in the wash. However, when lumps appear, that's not so easy to ignore.

Looking back, I think I may have subconsciously known something was seriously wrong. My kindly GP, after a full examination and what felt like an endless interrogation, wheeled her chair closer to me (something of a rarity during Covid times) and gently remarked "Do you know what I'm going to say to you?" And I did.

The moment I found out that I had cancer is one I'll never forget. For me, it was a mixture of relief and shock. Relief that everything I had been feeling suddenly made sense. Shock, that at only 33 years old, I was staring at a fairly uncertain future that I felt like I didn't deserve.

Sadly, there are a lot of us in the world who have had this experience, but thanks to cutting edge cancer research, there are also a lot of us who have this as just one of our many memories, rather than one of our last.

6 long months of painful, nerve destroying, sick-inducing, body debilitating chemotherapy sent me into remission. I lost my hair, but I didn't lose my life. I'd call that a fair trade (especially as I've discovered that I actually rock a bald head).

I count myself fortunate that my type of blood cancer and it's treatment has good odds for survival. Others aren't so lucky. The research conducted by organisations such as Blood Cancer UK is helping to improve those odds for anyone diagnosed with lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma. Since 1960, they've invested over £500 million into blood cancer research, which has transformed treatments and saved lives.

Right now, Blood Cancer UK is funding 360 researchers and staff across the country who are searching for the next breakthrough. The day blood cancer is finally beaten is now in sight and the researchers are determined to finish the job.

That's why I'm running the London Marathon.

It's going to be tough and goodness knows that I'll be absolutely destroyed by the end of it, but it will be worth it to raise lots of money to help give cancer a good kicking.

And just think, your donation could be the one that funds an extra hour for a researcher to work where they go on to discover the next cancer cure. You will be helping to save lives like mine with just the click of a few buttons. And every penny (although ideally pounds, if you can!) really will make the most monumental difference.

If you do decide to contribute (and a MASSIVE thank you, if you do), I'll keep my page updated with my training progress and will bore you to tears with how I'm getting on, so you can have confidence that I'll actually be able to throw myself across the finish line in London in April 2025.

Thank you for donating whatever you can afford. Absolutely every pound makes the biggest difference and I couldn't be more thankful or grateful for your support.

Anna x