Half-Marathon to Help Jules fight Cancer

On August 17th, 2023, when A-Level students were receiving their results so was my mum.

She was diagnosed with stage 2 grade 2 breast cancer which is not something we could’ve expected or were even prepared for. Her 1st round of chemo hit harder than expected. My mum ended up in a&e twice, she wasn’t able to eat or drink for about 10 days, which led to severe malnutrition and dehydration (her kidney and liver levels dropping dangerously low). Her course of treatment will be over 10 months, with recovery on top that. This made the abstract idea of ‘cancer’ very real for us. Which was difficult to come to terms with, as after her initial diagnoses we were confident in everything going okay. However, as things have started to develop and symptoms have progressed, it has gotten to the point where help is needed. So, I’ll be running the Leicestershire Half Marathon in February on the 25th in support of my mum and for the GoFundMe.

A piece from the family (me)

You might already know my mum:

Maybe from seeing her pick me up from school in her army uniform or hearing me brag about all her cool jobs. Maybe you’ve seen her post some of the worst photos of me anyone could find, on every single social media platform she could possibly find. Maybe you served with her. Maybe you met her at Stonedead (great festival by the way, we’ll see you next year). And maybe you were one of many people that have watched me grow up alongside her.

But ultimately, she’s, my mum. A supportive and loving mum to me (but most importantly our two dogs), and a sister, a daughter, and a friend to many. From serving in the army for 18 years whilst being a single parent for the last 19, there has never been a challenge she hasn’t been able to face. I can’t remember a time where she hasn’t been working tirelessly to put me through school and college and support our family. Because she’s the only bread winner, self-employed, and me being at uni, means she’s lost support emotionally, and financially. She’s consistently put other people before herself, and now the time has come where she needs all of our help the most.

Our Aim

Because of the aggressive chemotherapy, and surgery later down the line, we have no money coming in. And working whilst going through all of this is not an option, as it would likely result in her condition getting worse. So, getting financial help means she can take time off work to recover and look after grandad who has just got out of hospital. We have set an aim of £12,000, which would cover 6 months’ worth of bills, utilities, and healthcare, and most importantly, enable her to work less during this period. Any donation will mean a lot to us, big or small, and any surplus donations will go to the Chemotherapy Unit at Dorchester Hospital, for everything they are doing to help mum get through this.