On 5 April 2024, while on a family holiday, we received a telephone call which has changed the direction of my 21 year old daughter, Freya's life for a while. X-ray results revealed suspected osteosarcoma in her left arm. Freya was around 6 weeks away from graduating from her Journalism Degree at The University of Sheffield at the time.

There followed weeks of tests - CT scans, MRIs, two biopsies - during which time Freya decided to defer her final degree dissertation to focus on getting better - and, on 6 June 2024 the diagnosis was confirmed - Parosteal Osteosarcoma.

Apparently, only around 10 people a year are diagnosed with this type of osteosarcoma; Freya always did like to be different!

So, here I am, dusting off the running shoes and starting my marathon training for #TeamBones. Those that know me well will recall a very emotional Paris Marathon stint in 2015, ironically running for another sarcoma charity in memory of my mum, so it seems fitting that 10 years later I will be running this one in support of Freya and others like her!

The Bone Cancer Research Trust is dedicated to saving lives & improving outcomes for people affected by primary bone cancer. Despite being small, they fund more research projects exploring primary bone cancer than any other organisation. Other large UK cancer research charities do not prioritise bone cancer patients, in 2019 just 0.028% of their research spend went to bone cancer – not even close to 1%!

Last year alone, Bone Cancer Research Trust committed an incredible £807,824 to pioneering bone cancer research - to save lives!