Tom's London Marathon

This journey started a while ago... As a lot of people know I was due to run the 2020 London Marathon but COVID put a stop to that. In 2020 I was running for Prostate Cancer UK and I would like to say once again a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me and helped me raise about £500 for that very worthy charity. They have that money and I am sure have put it to good use! Anyway onto the 2022 London Marathon. A lot happens in two years and I will now be running for Cancer Research UK. This change has come about after the death of my Mum in February 2022. Cancer comes in many forms (I am not a doctor so will go with ‘forms’) and can develop very quickly. In this case, it was quick. For my Mum signs that something was wrong ramped up in December 2021 and notably not being able to eat her Christmas dinner. She spent the next couple of weeks not being able to eat, in pain and heading in and out of hospital. On Thursday 6th January at 20:18 I got the message and follow up call no one wants… it was cancer. She was diagnosed with Linitis plastica of the stomach (https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/stomach-cancer/getting-diagnosed/types-and-grades/linitis-plastica-of-the-stomach#:~:text=Linitis%20plastica%20is%20a%20type,when%20you're%20digesting%20food). A rare form of stomach cancer. Due to the speed and spread of this type of cancer diagnosis is usually at a late stage and treatment is limited. For my Mum it was about making her as comfortable as possible. On the 2nd February she was admitted to the LOROS hospice in Leicester who were very good and looked after her until two weeks later on the 17th February she passed away. In a whirlwind 6-8 weeks she was gone. So now, I am running the Marathon for my Mum and will hopefully raise some money for one of the charities that is helping to fight the disease that took her from me and the family. Thanks for reading and thank you for any donations! X