I'm taking part in 2026 TCS London Marathon to support Birmingham Hospice.

On the 17th April 2025, my beautiful friend Sam passed away after an incredibly tough and cruel fight. She had been battling an extremely rare and aggressive type of cancer - one that she was diagnosed with at the age of just 28. No previous health problems. Just horrifically bad luck.

Sam touched so many people with her kindness, warmth and love. She was somebody who always lived life to the fullest and never let an opportunity pass her by. If it weren’t for this hideous disease, she would be travelling the world with her husband, working her dream job, and eating churros at Disney World right now.

After Sam’s diagnosis and during her long, punishing fight, there was very, very little that any of her loving family and friends could do to make life easier. The last few months of Sam’s life were truly heartbreaking for all those that loved her, but we are all so grateful to Birmingham Hospice for their support.

As a charity, the home visits and hospice care that they provide are made possible through donations, and the dedication and support of their staff are the only thing which made Sam’s palliative care that bit more manageable. Even now, Birmingham Hospice continue to provide ongoing support to Sam’s family.

If Sam knew that I was about to run a marathon, she would probably tell me I was an idiot for putting myself through months of training, weeks of sore muscles and the impending inevitability of using the same Porta-loos as 50,000 other people. And she would be right.

But you have absolutely no way of knowing if you’re about to get the terrible, world-shaking news that Sam did. It’s news that nobody ever deserves to be given. All any of us can do is hope that if luck does treat us as poorly as it did Sam, we can rely on the support and care of a wonderful charity like Birmingham Hospice.