Emma takes on Fitness February

I’m taking on Fitness February, an epic 28-day exercise challenge for Cancer Research UK. Help me raise money to fund life-saving cancer research by sponsoring me. 30th June 2018, we lost one of my best friends, Michelle Russell, who had been battling several diseases including a rare form of blood cancer since 2013. She passed away in hospital in London following a 5 week battle after a liver transplant in a bid to save her life. She was 37. Shelly's passing left a huge hole in her family and friends lives and will continue to do so forevermore. 14th August 2018, our cousin, Karen Bull, passed away in a local hospice shortly before her 40th birthday after cervical cancer sadly returned after Karen had previously been in remission. This time it took her life. We went to visit Karen throughout her final days. Seeing Cancer ravage a persons body so much in such a short space of time was absolutely heartbreaking. Karen left behind a partner and 5 children and a family whose lives will never be the same without her being in it. 26th September 2018, our wonderful friend Jeff Carter, passed away in hospital after a relatively short battle with Lung Cancer. He had just celebrated his birthday a few weeks beforehand. Jeff was very well known in his little community in Wales and had so many friends and a close family who he adored. Jeff will always be remembered for his one half of Batman and Robin at a NYE party in 2016 and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. "YOU HAVE CANCER" are 3 words which no-one should hear. It is the most ferocious, scary disease on the planet. 1 in 2 people are now expected to suffer with this terrible disease which presents itself in many forms providing individual fights and challenges and becoming the greatest fight for all involved. Cancer doesn't just affect the person who has been diagnosed. It affects family members helping, it affects friends who help provide support where needed, and the wider network. Friends of friends, sharing experiences, the nurses and doctors who help provide the treatment. Over the past few years, Cancer, has been heard in our lives far too much. It is a disease which makes us so angry. We have lost other people to this disease, George, Roy, Caroline, to name a few. I have also had 2 cancer scares in my life time. My first was back before I was even a mother. I had a smear test which came back showing abnormal cells therefore had to go through loop excision treatment to remove these internally. This resulted in my having a massive open infection and regular smears every few months to ensure that everything was as it should. Being one of the lucky ones, in April 2003, I was discharged from the hospital and then continued to have regular smears since. In 2017 I also had a breast cancer scare, where I had found a lump in my breast. Again, it turned out to be nothing serious, a cyst maybe or a tissue lump of some form but again I felt relieved and had dodged a bullet. My luck may run out sometime, I may well hear those 3 words at some point in the future,. You may also have this conversation at some point. I hope it doesn't happen but it could well happen. This is why raising money towards cancer research is more valuable than ever. Their research helps to find new treatments for different cancer types and helps to provide the news that it is helping or has put the disease into remission, Please support me in this challenge. Thank you for listening.