On September 14th I will be running 100km from Putney Bridge, along the Thames to Henley-on-Thames in honour of my Dear Mum and to raise funds for her Foundation.

In July 2020 our Mum, Sophie, displayed a ‘growth’ in her abdomen, which was first diagnosed with a hernia by her GP. It took the aggressive insistence of a friend, who was a medical consultant, to have the lump reassessed, and quickly. Stage 4 goblet cell carcinoma was subsequently diagnosed, a devastatingly rare cancer of the appendix.

Mum embarked on treatment and in doing so, discovered a startling truth—research and knowledge about her particular type of cancer were scarce. It was as though she was fighting a silent battle, surrounded by a medical community unfamiliar with the intricacies of her illness. Sometimes more likened to a guinea pig because her treatment was so cutting edge, she demonstrated immense strength, courage and an unwavering ability to live life exactly as she had before it. Sophie was determined not to be defined by her illness.

Radiating selflessness and kindness throughout her life, she possessed an unwavering spirit of empathy, always ready to lend a listening ear or offer a helping hand to those in need. Her actions spoke volumes about her character. Sophie embodied the essence of what it meant to be compassionate. We have set up the Foundation so people don't have to go through these diagnosis alone.