Rebekka's London Marathon

My Story

First things first, I'm NOT a runner. I applied in October 2022 and I wasn't successful in gaining a marathon place. I let it go, it wasn't meant to be. Then I got an email on 21st January to say I'd got a place. Wow, 3 months to go and 0 training under my belt. The reaction of friends and family has been mixed, even the last 24 hours of it sinking in have been mixed, but when someone says I can't do something, it's like a red rag to a bull. So here I am, embarking on my Marathon journey. Having never run more than 7km with a ball being thrown at me the whole way. In October 2016, aged 31 with a 4 year old, I was diagnosed with a very rare cancerous tumor in my eye - first detected in a routine eye test after the summer holidays. The months that followed were tough. I won't go into the operation as some of you are eye squeamish and treatment was very invasive. Adapting to life with sight loss was hard but I stayed positive. My tumour hasn't gone. It's still there, but it's a lot smaller. I live with the 50% chance that even now, 6.5 years on, it could have spread to my other organs through my blood. Living with cancer can be exhausting. Everyone who knows me, recognises that I've just got on with it. It can be all consuming if you let it but I know I'm still one of the lucky ones. My own journey is only actually a small part of why I'm running the marathon in April. In July 2021 we lost my unbelievably amazing SIL, Katie, to breast cancer, at just 37 years old. She'd first been diagnosed in the February after my diagnosis and we'd helped each other through some of the toughest times, with pure grit and positivity. When Katie died, a part of my huge positivity went with her and I'm gaining that back knowing that Katie would want us to live each day like it's your last. I hope that I will do her proud - even though I know she'd be telling me I'm insane!! What I also know is how unbelievably proud she'd be of her family and how remarkably they have coped with the loss. Katie left behind our niece and nephew, Izzy and Tommy and her amazing husband James along with my wife (her sister) Clare, their parents, Ros and Peter and her big sister Sam. And really, I'm running for them too. We can only be in control of so much in our lives. It's the harsh reality we learn as we grow up. I can control how I lead my life alongside living with my cancer and I want to raise as much money as possible for a cause so vitally important; to hopefully get to the point where cancer is a thing of the past. Here's hoping. Please support me anyway you can...