Dear friends,

On Christmas Day I received a phone call, my sister Tanya died.

Growing up Tanya was my idol, 6 years older than me and a fellow Gemini. She was fun, spontaneous, beautiful and fiercely protective. She lit up every corner of a room the moment she walked in. If she went out and didn’t take me, I would chase her crying and she would scoop me up and sit me on the handle bars of her BMX, then off we went on what felt like the most exciting adventures. We both loved to dance and dress up. We listened to Prince and Wham and watched Desperately Seeking Susan on repeat. To me she was the coolest. Tanya was unbelievably kind and generous and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for you, or give you. She cared so deeply for people and was passionate about looking after them. Often caught beating up the bullies in the school playground, my mother would beg her to stay out of trouble but she wouldn’t be deterred, showing her bruises like badges of honour. She had a mind of her own and by her early teens she was swimming with the metropolitan police team and was a strong competitive horse rider. She was fearless beyond imagination with an insatiable zest for life. I will always be proud of the person I knew she was and I will remember this Tanya.

Experiencing life with a sister struggling with substance misuse and alcohol addiction has been painfully devastating and heartbreaking. It familiarises feelings of despair, hopelessness, anger, guilt and shame; testing every inch of your capacity to love unconditionally whilst building the strength and resilience of a small army.

I miss my sister everyday. There is a pain and sadness I feel that I don’t think will ever leave and perhaps it shouldn’t. I grieve the life I wanted her to live, a life I believe we all deserve as human beings. A life in which she felt safe and happy, a life she could have been proud of, a life her family and children could have been a part of. I grieve a future without the hope of her smile, her magic and the realisation of her amazing potential.

I guess its not a coincidence that I studied and trained to become a psychotherapist, initially specialising in addiction. Having dedicated a large part of my life volunteering for various charities and shelters, I have often challenged the idea that a humans desire to change alone can be the difference and enough to pull them into recovery and a safe place. I can honestly say from my experience that this is almost impossible without the help and support of a community.

I believe EVERY single human being deserves to be seen, heard and valued. To know that despite your choices and circumstances, you matter, your life matters.

I found a wonderful charity called DePaul, their work and mission to end homelessness immediately connected with me.

They support young and vulnerable homeless people. They support not only by disrupting an all too familiar cycle in providing immediate and crucial services, but by continuing to offer support beyond the streets. Please spare a moment to visit their website and see the fundamental work they do. They save and change lives, they make the difference. https://www.depaul.org.uk/

I would like to honour Tanya’s life by shining a light on all those living in darkness and helping them to believe they can live a life worth living and there is help and support out there for them. I hope this will be the beginning of her legacy and that her life will continue to inspire myself and others in our work and the way that we live our lives.

I feel very privileged, grateful (and terrified) to have been given the opportunity to run the Iconic London marathon in memory of Tanya and for DePaul, April 2025.

Thank you so much for reading my story and for your much needed future support and encouragement!

Love Marcella x

Depaul UK have been working to end homelessness for over 30 years, and offer specialist services to help young people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.

They do this by:

Providing emergency and longer-term housing to people in need.

Preventing youth homelessness with mediation services and workshops in schools.

Supporting young people to access education, training and employment opportunties.

Their work would not be possible without the generosity of fundraisers and donors like you.