London Marathon: Melanie’s Miles of Hope

Hi, my name so Angela and I’m running the London Marathon on 27 April. I have decided to dedicate my run and raise funds for Melanie’s Miles of Hope, established by my amazing, inspirational and brave colleague and friend, Mel, who sadly lost her battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer in October 2024, having been diagnosed only 18 months before that at the extremely young age of 39. Only weeks after her diagnosis in 2023, Mel ran Leeds Marathon. An avid runner, she set up Melanie’s Miles of Hope to raise funds for others facing cancer treatment in Yorkshire. In May 2024, during gruelling chemo, Mel and her army of runners and supporters took on the Leeds half marathon. I was proud to run in her colours

Melanie’s Miles of Hope is in the process of obtaining charity status, this should hopefully be achieved this summer, so in the meantime funds are being raised via Go Fund Me and then funds will be transferred to the charity

Here is Mel’s story, taken from her own fundraising page from last year…

“I was initially diagnosed in May 2023 at just 39 years old. I am a mum to a beautiful 5 year old girl, Isla Rose and I’m newly married to my wonderful husband Ben. Exercise, family time and an ability to work through my illness have all been amazing coping mechanisms for me and my family all but I know not every cancer patient is able to do this and this is how I want to help others! I ran my first marathon last year just a week after being diagnosed with breast cancer. I ran the race with a massive smile on my face feeling a huge sense of accomplishment, despite the cancer diagnosis. I kept up my running as much as I could during the gruelling chemotherapy treatment and following surgery, and the gym and walking became my crux. It made me more determined to show my body what it’s capable of.

Working through my illness has also helped me financially and kept my mind occupied! I’ve been able to afford some complementary treatments such as mistletoe therapy, hbot oxygen therapy, sound baths, consultations about integrative therapies, lots of reading of books and hundreds of pounds spent on daily supplements and dietary changes….none of this I take for granted and I feel fortunate I’ve had the resource to be able to access this.

I’m embarking on my next running challenge which is the Leeds half marathon in May. I’ve managed to rally a huge team of supporters to do this run with me. Many include family, friends, colleagues. There’s tonnes of us and lots of running first timers. The day will be so special

I wasn’t going to run for a charity but I see it as a wasted opportunity if not but I couldn’t decide which charity to run for. I want to make an actual difference to local people. I want to help people buy a wig if they can’t afford one, I want to help a cancer patient go on holiday with their loved ones if they can’t afford it. I want to help them access some alternative therapies if they can’t afford it, or pay for an annual gym or swimming membership to get them active again. There’s no charity that offers this kind of diverse and practical support so I’ve decided to set one up myself! I want to create a legacy, even if it’s a short lived one, that helps some cancer patients that I’ve met along the way. The cancer community is huge and I’ve met some inspiring and amazing people but some of whom are really struggling. So let’s give some support to those that are in need and we will then know that every penny collected will actually make a difference to real, every day people. Who knows, maybe this legacy could develop into full charity status that would be a dream but for now, I just want to do everything I can to help others whilst making my daughter feel proud of her mummy and also teaching her what’s possible, even with a life limiting illness”.