This year I'm running the Dublin Marathon on 25 October in support of Marie Curie.

Marie Curie is KPMG Northern Ireland's charity partner this year, but it's also a charity I've known for a long time and experienced first-hand. When I was 18, my dad passed away from brain cancer. In the later stages of his illness, Marie Curie provided support that encompassed everything that matters most at that time: compassion, dignity and care for my dad, as well as support for all of us around him. End of life care is something we all hope we will never need, but when we do, it makes an enormous difference.

More recently, we lost another close family member to cancer after a very short illness. They were an incredible person, loved by so many, and are deeply missed every day.

As part of our support for Marie Curie this year, I recently visited the hospice. It was the first time I had stepped back through those doors in more than 28 years. The hospice remains an incredible place. So many families facing the heartbreak that comes with terminal illness find comfort in the kindness, care and support provided there during the hardest of times.

Running a marathon won’t ever do it justice but it’s a small way to recognise the work Marie Curie does for patients and families every day, and to remember those who have meant so much to us.

For anyone who would like to support, thank you so very much.