I’m running a “thank you” ❤️

“I just ran 28K!”. Honestly, this is not something I thought I’d ever hear myself say again after suffering from herniated discs and an autoimmune disease for the last six years! “What would you want to do that for, then?” I hear you ask. It’s simple, I’ve got a “Thank you” to run. I owe huge thanks to someone on behalf of myself and everyone in her world for the magic and warmth that exist in her name.

As some of you will know, we recently lost one of the most inspiring people we’ve ever known. My sister-in-law, Kathleen Shelley, passed away in November after a frankly awe-inspiring, cruel, humbling and lengthy duel with breast cancer. She was only 40 years old.

Had you met her, you would never have known. You probably wouldn’t have believed it, like many didn’t when they first found out. It was never about her disease, and it certainly didn’t define her. It was almost like she’d wound up with an unloveable flatmate that she learned to live with, and despite. Peacefully.

Always a ray of brilliant, warm sunshine with a positive outlook on the world and its people, Kat lived by the mantra ‘with fire & grace.’ She spoke kindly. Always. Even about her unwelcome flatmate. She said she had learnt to value the simple things, not stress about the rest and to stop and see the beauty that is all around us that we are often too busy to notice.

One morning, I woke to an email telling me I had a place in this year’s London Marathon, I decided that this was it, this was my opportunity to pay it back to the universe! I honestly didn’t know if I could make it, if this vessel would even get me there! But... “I just ran 28K” so yes I think I’ve got a chance, a chance to cross the finish line, a chance to ‘pay it back’ to Kat, to show her how much we will always love her and how grateful we are for all the accidental life teachings she offered.

Next month I’m running my “Thank you…..”, raising money for the Velindre Cancer Centre that took such exceptional care of Kat; allowing her to live, do, feel, show, behold, care, teach, love, travel, laugh (and eat) so fully in that unique decade of her life.

If you are able to support me in running my marathon “Thank you” then I’d be eternally grateful.

Please follow the link to the Just Giving page.