Karen Edwards story...

Those who know me, know I run. Not nearly as much as I would like to, but when I can, I get out. To keep fit, to escape, to breathe in the fresh air.

I run without music and always have. I like hearing the birdsong and being aware of my surroundings.

But in doing so, I am left with my thoughts and sometimes my mind goes to uncomfortable places. I imagine the unimaginable. How I would cope if I lost my kids. How on earth would my kids cope without me? They are my everything, and I am theirs.

Just the thought of it is heartbreaking and I can immediately feel it in my chest. So I block it out; I put it in a box and far into the back of my mind, and carry on running. And hope I, or they, never have to experience that kind of pain.

There are so many children who don't have that option and who have to live the devastating reality of losing a sibling or parent. I don’t even know how they begin to deal with something like this. There are no words, there just aren’t.

On 3 October I will take part in Run to the Sea, Bournemouth, which is a 33 mile run from Moors Valley to Hengistbury Head, to raise as much money as I possibly can for the Ellis Edwards Foundation. The furthest I have run was the half marathon last October. I’ve got to find another 20 miles from somewhere.

The Foundation, set up in the wake of Ellis, an 11 year old boy who lost the fight to cancer, aims to give support to children left behind by the death of a sibling or parent by offering days out, breaks away and counselling; to help them to see a glimmer of hope in their darkest days.

This run is for all of the grief-stricken families, and for the beautiful children whose lives have been cut so very short.