I will be running The London Marathon with my son Ollie in memory of my husband James. An ambitious challenge but we are ready for it!! Ollie will turn 18 on the day so he will be the youngest runner!! He thinks that’s really cool!!

In early 2020, James was diagnosed with a dedifferentiated liposarcoma (a highly aggressive type of soft tissue sarcoma). It came as a real shock and like so many others we’d never heard of sarcoma. James lived his life to the fullest, but sadly the cancer came back and my beautiful husband passed away on the 18th April 2022.

James was the most loving, kind, dedicated father and husband. He was our glue, our rock, our light and we miss him so much. He loved helping others and making a difference to people’s lives, he had a very kind heart.

Sport was an integral part of his life. He was an inspirational canoeist, a decorated international athlete and a very keen runner. He was very disciplined, thrived on challenges and always wanted to push himself. Running the London Marathon was on his bucket list but sadly he never got the chance to do it so we will be fulfilling his dream by taking up the challenge ourselves.

James inspired me to take up running. After completing the Couch to 5k program in early 2025, I joined a local running club: The Enfield Chasers and never looked back. Finding this running club has literally changed my life. Running has become my therapy and it brings me so much joy. Crossing the finish line with Ollie by my side will be by far my proudest achievement!!

We know it is not going to be easy, but James will be with us pushing us through when it gets tough. We will draw from his extraordinary courage, resilience, and determination he showed throughout his illness.

In his own words “I know we hope we can beat cancer just by fighting it. Sometimes this is true. Other times it comes back with a better plan and wins. As in life, you have to try but not feel a failure for not having won.”

We are so lucky to have shared his too short but amazing life, and he will continue to inspire us.

“You will forever run beside us.”

From Ollie:

“Back when I was in primary school, my dad used to drag me out of the house at the crack of dawn to go and train with the local running club, while also signing me up to do every single league race. I would’ve much rather have been playing Fortnite but I did my best to stick with it and make my dad happy. The only thing I enjoyed doing was the odd 5k Parkrun as I loved being able to run at my own pace, as well as being surrounded by some of the loveliest people you’ll ever meet. However, my 3 years of running unfortunately came to a grinding halt, due to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, and most importantly the fact that my dad was battling cancer for the first time.

My new year’s resolution was to try and rediscover that old love that my dad and I shared for Parkruns. I got a PB of 20:36, even though I couldn’t quite believe that I’d been outsprinted on the finish line by a 10-year-old, I felt overwhelmingly happy, and I knew that my dad would have been extremely proud of what I’d achieved.

A year on, I have now discovered a passion for running that I never thought I’d find back when I was a stubborn young kid, but I couldn’t be happier that I found a passion for this sport my dad loved so dearly. Race day will definitely be hard, but we just have to go out there and have fun, knowing that my dad will be watching from above prouder than ever.

I love you daddy and I hope I will make you proud. “ xxx

Thank you for visiting our page and supporting Sarcoma UK, a charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer and campaigns for better treatments. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the bone and soft tissue. It is difficult to diagnose and one of the hardest to treat. By supporting us, we can help change this.

Your donations go so far in helping the sarcoma community:

- £25 Could fund a Research Associate to work on a Sarcoma UK research project for one hour.

- £334 Could fund Sarcoma UK's specialist Support Line for a day.

- £2,000 Could help with the manufacture of a new-generation drug (PROTAC) which specifically targets sarcoma proteins and could reduce treatment side-effects.

Ollie and I would be so grateful for any donation. It means so much to us, to James and to other sarcoma patients who are in desperate need of live-saving treatment. Thank you.