We're Running for Shahed in Maddy's Name

My Auntie Katie and l are running a half marathon on February 22nd 2025. We are running in my sister, Maddy’s, name. Maddy grew up with a love for the sea, the French language and drumming. On April 17th 2023, she ended her life after a long battle with her mental health. On February 22nd, just four days after Maddy’s birthday, we will cover 13.1 miles along Northumberland’s beautiful coastline, an area in which Maddy and I spent many of our favourite times together growing up.

Maddy was a wonderfully thoughtful young lady who dedicated much of her time towards causes close to her heart. In 2018, Maddy took on the incredible challenge of running three marathons in three days to raise money for educational development in French-speaking Senegal. She was the kind of person who used her immense range of talents for the betterment of others. Though Katie and I are, unfortunately, not gifted with the mental or physical capabilities for a tri-marathon attempt, we have decided to embark on a half-marathon run. In honour of Maddy and her gift for spreading hope, we are running in her name, raising money for a young woman, Shahed, and her family.

Shahed is 19 years old, living with her family of six, in a tented camp in central Gaza. During her school years, Shahed achieved academic excellence in all her studies and planned to study medicine. Becoming a doctor would allow her not only to help others, but support her family as well. Since November last year, Shahed and her family have been displaced many times, forced to evacuate on foot to ‘safe zones’ and have miraculously survived snipers and drone attacks. In September, they lost 8 family members in a massacre known as ‘the tent massacre’. 

Despite living through such dark and terrible times, Shahed and her family remain incredibly kind and hopeful. Having chatted with Shahed many times over WhatsApp and video call, she begins every conversation with a smile and wants to hear all about my day. Shahed dreams of continuing her education one day. She hopes to raise enough money to move to Egypt, where she may continue her medical studies and help those suffering in return. I see so much of my wonderfully talented and generous sister in Shahed.

It is my hope that, through this fundraiser, we will be able to help this young woman and her family survive, in Maddy’s name. It is my hope that we will be able to support Shahed’s access to education and a safe future, in Maddy’s name.

We believe in the power of community, and that’s why we’re asking for your help. There is now a famine in Gaza and food prices are extortionate. Every contribution, no matter how small, will go directly to supporting Shahed and her family as they navigate these difficult times. We’re running not just for Maddy, but for all those who need a lifeline. Please share our GoFundMe campaign with your network; together, we can uplift this family and honor Maddy’s legacy.

Thank you all in advance.