About Me

I worked in the NHS as a registered nurse and retired at the age of 55. I had never really been ill, then I jump in with both feet with a cancer diagnosis (Breast Cancer in May 2019), then a year later Ovarian Cancer (May 2020), at the start of the pandemic. My treatment plan was 6 sessions of chemotherapy with debulking surgery in the middle.

It was in the July 2020 that I saw the campaign ‘run 60 miles for cancer research’ and thought, could I walk this as a way of getting fit for my surgery? I started very slowly, as some days following the chemotherapy, I was so very weak, but I knew I felt so much better after a walk. I’m pleased to say, In the month before my surgery, I walked 70 miles and 26 miles after the surgery. I have continued to walk every day since then, whatever the weather.

It was at the end of 2020, that I saw the challenge of ‘Walk 1000 miles in 2021’. This equated to 2.7 miles a day, but by the spring realised I was walking the distance of a marathon in a week and wondered, could I walk the distance of 52 marathons in 52 weeks? It was on my walks that I learnt to face and manage my fears, not easy, but always came back smiling and feeling much better afterwards. And yes, I did it.

In August 2022, I became an ambassador for with @5KYourway, a charity that supports people with a cancer diagnosis to take more exercise, this happened just as I was starting chemotherapy again. We meet on the last Saturday in the month, but I loved the buzz of parkrun and went back week after week. I started with walking but with the support of others, started to run a little. I’m very proud to say, on New Years’ Day (2023), having a break between chemo 5 & 6, because bloods were a bit array, I ran my first 5k, utterly unbelievable, but I did it. I continue to enjoy parkrun every week

The diagnosis has been life changing but I always look for the things I can do, self-care is so very important after a diagnosis, it’s not always easy and I know that living with a cancer diagnosis is tough some days.