after running 40km within 7 days in memory of my beautiful mam, i decided that i didn’t want to just stop there. i have signed up to the Swansea Half Marathon on June 7th!!!‍

as many of you know, I lost my mam to a late diagnosis of advanced bowel cancer. I often wish I had the knowledge and understanding of the disease then that I do now. Each year, around 900 people in Wales lose their lives to bowel cancer (Bowel Cancer UK, 2025) — and heartbreakingly, my mam was one of them. With early detection and greater awareness, these numbers can be reduced. my mam had just turned 40 in June, she was fit and healthy, loved to swim, go on walks and zumba. therefore, as you can imagine, our family never could have seen this happening.

some symptoms of bowel cancer can present as :-

extreme tiredness

weightloss

tummy pain

lump around the abdomen area

extreme bloating

blood in stool

i am doing this to raise awareness on bowel cancer, it’s impact it has on families, and most importantly, honour my mam running has also given me a real sense of purpose, knowing that all funds raised will go to a truly wonderful charity — The Hospice of the Valleys

i am super grateful for the support i have and am continuing to receive. this will be the furthest i will have ever ran, so wish me luck‍!!!

i would like to add that i am doing this for anyone currently fighting cancer, anyone who has lost someone to cancer, lost a parent, a loved one, or are experiencing grief. you are not alone. cancer touches more families in our community than you realise.