Virtually two years to the day, I started chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Now fighting fit and well, I’m pleased to say I’m aiming to take on the Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday 19 October to help raise funds for the amazing charity Future Dreams.

Why Future Dreams?

The past two years have been exhausting. With a diagnosis and surgery in late summer of 2023, I wasn’t quite sure ‘what next?’ in my road to recovery in early October. A cancer diagnosis in your 20s, 30s or 40s can feel isolating. For many, you haven’t seen anyone else weather this storm, you’re confronted with life changing decisions, and if you have a family - you’re trying to keep some sense or normality at a time when nothing feels normal and everything feels overwhelming. While I greatly valued my extended network of friends and family who kept me and my crew going between 2023 and 2024, being able to connect through Future Dreams with people facing the same challenges made such a difference on my road to recovery.

At a check-up, not long after having surgery, as I awaited to find out what next in my treatment plan, my surgeon and nurse told me about the charity Future Dreams – located in a gem of a building, just across the street from King’s Cross Station, and instantly while I wasn’t sure ‘what next?’, I knew from what they said I needed to go and see the Future Dreams House.

Going somewhere new for the first time can be overwhelming at the best of times – even as an adult – but from the moment I stepped inside the Future Dreams House, I felt at ease. As the UK’s only dedicated breast cancer support centre in the UK, the design is considered and comforting. The team is made up of the warmest bunch of people. Even the building smells great. In short, the building is a haven for patients and their supporters as they weather the cancer storm.

Set-up to ensure no one has to face breast cancer alone, Future Dreams offers practical and emotional support for those diagnosed with breast cancer, promotes health awareness and funds vital secondary breast cancer research.

I particularly found connecting with women going through treatment at the same time, the 1-2-1 nurse services, cooking workshops and back to work sessions a lifeline – I’m only scratching the surface on the amazing work and support Future Dreams offers.

While the support for patients is truly remarkable, my appreciation for Future Dreams deepened thanks to the support they offered to carers. I can’t imagine what the past two years have been like for my husband – being a rock for me, keeping life ticking along for the kids, all while managing a challenging job. Knowing he has been able to connect and talk to people going through a similar situation has been invaluable and has provided me great comfort knowing he’s got a place to go.

I encourage you all to explore Future Dream’s website and thank you for any donation you can make towards my fundraising campaign for them. I never thought I would ever attempt to run a marathon but a cancer diagnosis changes your outlook on life. As I said throughout my treatment, make hay while the sun is shining, so here I go. Two years later, I’m ready to run 42 km – one km for every year I’ve had on this earth – to show my appreciation and gratitude for an amazing charity keeping patients and their families going at a time when it’s almost impossible to know what next.