Stars Appeal Pembroke Fund
Niki's London Marathon for Stars Appeal Pembroke Fund
My Story
I’ve been a medical consultant at Salisbury Hospital for 10 years. My role in supporting cancer patients has always been the most rewarding bit of my job. But cancer hadn’t really touched me personally until my Mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died in her 60s, well before she or I were ready to let her go.
This will be my 69th marathon. Running helps me to cope with life’s stresses and I’ve often run to raise money for charity. This is the first time that I will be running in memory of my Mum and most importantly, I’m running to raise money for the Stars Appeal Pembroke fund, which helps teenagers and adults affected by cancer at my own hospital.
The Stars Appeal is an absolutely brilliant charity. It allows us to give patients at Salisbury a much better experience than you would get from just the ‘essential bits’ of the hospital service. Stars fund the Cancer pre-habilitation programme, where gym instructors work with cancer patients to get them fit for intensive treatment, like surgery. They also fund cooling caps, which reduce hair loss from chemotherapy, improving self-image and confidence, which can take a massive knock when you suddenly find yourself with a stoma bag or a missing breast.
When I reflect on my Mum’s cancer journey, I wonder whether things could have been that bit better for her if she had received some of the wonderful ‘extra bits’ that Stars help our doctors and nurses to offer cancer patients every day. I suspect almost everyone reading this will have been affected by cancer in some way, even if only peripherally. After all, more that 1 in 3 of us will get it. So, this is for you, your family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbours. I’m aiming to raise £2,000 to enhance local cancer care and I can’t do it without you.
Thank you very much!
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Target
£2,000
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Raised so far
£2,170
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Number of donors
69
My Story
I’ve been a medical consultant at Salisbury Hospital for 10 years. My role in supporting cancer patients has always been the most rewarding bit of my job. But cancer hadn’t really touched me personally until my Mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died in her 60s, well before she or I were ready to let her go.
This will be my 69th marathon. Running helps me to cope with life’s stresses and I’ve often run to raise money for charity. This is the first time that I will be running in memory of my Mum and most importantly, I’m running to raise money for the Stars Appeal Pembroke fund, which helps teenagers and adults affected by cancer at my own hospital.
The Stars Appeal is an absolutely brilliant charity. It allows us to give patients at Salisbury a much better experience than you would get from just the ‘essential bits’ of the hospital service. Stars fund the Cancer pre-habilitation programme, where gym instructors work with cancer patients to get them fit for intensive treatment, like surgery. They also fund cooling caps, which reduce hair loss from chemotherapy, improving self-image and confidence, which can take a massive knock when you suddenly find yourself with a stoma bag or a missing breast.
When I reflect on my Mum’s cancer journey, I wonder whether things could have been that bit better for her if she had received some of the wonderful ‘extra bits’ that Stars help our doctors and nurses to offer cancer patients every day. I suspect almost everyone reading this will have been affected by cancer in some way, even if only peripherally. After all, more that 1 in 3 of us will get it. So, this is for you, your family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbours. I’m aiming to raise £2,000 to enhance local cancer care and I can’t do it without you.
Thank you very much!
