20 Years Later… and I Said “Never Again” 💛

Twenty years ago, I ran the Great North Run and swore I would never do it again.

I was younger then, running for my mum while she received treatment for breast cancer at Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Like so many families, ours was thrown into a world of appointments, uncertainty, fear and fierce hope. Rosemere was there for us — providing outstanding care, compassion and support when we needed it most.

I truly believed that chapter of our lives was behind us.

But cancer has a way of rewriting your plans.

This time, I’m lacing up my trainers for three of the people I love most.

For my husband, who received treatment for prostate cancer at Rosemere.

For my daughter Emily, just 25, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour last October after what seemed like an ordinary migraine. January brought surgery — the kind of “worst case scenario” that we’ve since learned can also be the best possible outcome. She continues to face treatment with courage that leaves us all in awe.

And for every family who knows that cancer doesn’t just affect one person — it ripples through everyone who loves them.

Cancer is hard.

The waiting is hard.

The treatment is hard.

The recovery is hard.

And the emotional aftershocks spread far and wide.

Rosemere has been part of our story across two decades. It has supported my mum, my husband, and now my daughter. The care, expertise and humanity of the teams there make the unbearable feel possible.

So here I am, 20 years after saying “never again”, taking on the Great North Run once more — older, maybe slightly wiser, definitely slower — but more determined than ever.

I’m running in gratitude.

I’m running in hope.

I’m running for “after” — for long, healthy, happy futures.

If you can, please support me by donating to Rosemere. Every pound helps them continue providing life-changing care to families like mine.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for cheering from the sidelines — and for helping turn something so hard into something hopeful. 💛