Story
If you’ve known me long enough, you’ll know that I ran the London Marathon in 2017 in aid of Marie Curie and in memory of my Gramps, Eric Griffin. I was really lucky to have my Dad by my side during the marathon, essentially coaching me and keeping me going when it felt impossible. I regularly say “I really don’t know if I could have run it without him”.
So, 10 years later, I’m going to try.
In those 10 years, I’ve known countless people who have lost their lives, or whose lives have been hugely affected by cancer - including my other Grandad, Dennis Ridout.
Alongside my career in musical theatre, I started working as a medical administrator and it’s consequently become a huge part of my life to support people through diagnosis, treatment and, heartbreakingly, end of life care due to cancer. It has always felt like an immense privilege to be able to offer support where I can - but if you know me, you know I always want to be doing more. Ultimately, there’s only so much I can do for people (even as an administrative wizard), so I need to help the people that CAN do more.
So in 2027, I’m running the London Marathon in aid of the Institute of Cancer Research.
They are a world-leading cancer research institute and they work closely with a number of funding organisations, including Cancer Research UK, Breast Cancer Now and the Wellcome Trust. They also work in partnership with the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and many institutions to share expertise, technology and resources, to deliver world class research that rapidly benefits patients.
Through my work, I have seen the benefits of these services and research is what moves us ever closer to curing cancer, together. I’d be so grateful if you can support me in this effort to fund more critical research.
Please don’t think you need to make a sizable donation if you’re unable. If every person who visited my fundraising page previously gave just £1.00 I would have raised far more than I ended up with (!) - trust me, nothing is too small. As the (totally non-branded) saying goes, every little helps.
I will be running in memory of many and hoping to help many more. Thank you.
The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is one of the world's most influential cancer research institutes, with an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. Every day they are finding innovative ways of detecting cancers, discovering new treatment options and producing life-changing research. Every donation is a part of what keeps cancer research moving forward every day. They help fund the routine yet essential tasks that build toward major discoveries. £20 could pay for some PCR primers – short DNA sequences used to identify cancer-related genes. £50 could buy one box of pipette tips, which are used daily during experiments. £100 could power a high-resolution microscope for an hour, enabling scientists to closely examine cancer cells and track how they respond to treatments. Help us make the discoveries that defeat cancer.