Jemma's fundraising page

The 16th of October this year will mark the ten-year anniversary of my grandad passing away from cancer. Because this is such a big milestone, I’ve decided to something equally big to commemorate him: I’m taking on the 5k Pretty Muddy Race for Life. I truly believe, in the 11 years and two days I shared the world with him, that he and my grandma had as great an impression on me as my parents did, making me who I am now. I’m so grateful that I could call such a wonderful man ‘grandad’, and I like to think he’s proud of how far I’ve come. Even since he hasn’t been around, my grandad has still influenced my life: the only reason I learned to play piano was that after he passed away, we discovered the money he’d been saving up for me. This paid not only for my piano but for my first year of lessons. Since then, I’ve taken it further and achieved Grade 5. Even now, every time I play the piano, I still think of him. Watching my grandad suffer from cancer, and eventually lose the battle was heart-breaking. It is because of him that I have taken interest in cancer research and treatment, and that’s where I want my career to go, so hopefully we can one day treat all cancers 100% successfully. Cancer is indiscriminate in who it affects – it doesn’t care if you’re already sad or if you’re on top of the world. It can be absolutely devastating to families, and its effects are felt by more than just the person with it. Because of this, I’d like to ask you for your sponsorship as I run this year’s Pretty Muddy Race for Life in memory of my grandad. Even if you can’t spare much, the more money we can raise for cancer research means the sooner a cure can be found, and we can help keep families together. Thank you!