In November 2013, my dad was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Mesothelioma. This kind of cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos. There is currently no cure for Mesothelioma, however, because my dad was so healthy otherwise, he was offered surgery as part of a trial. He underwent this surgery in January last year. After that he had to have various rounds of chemo and checkups. He seemed to be doing well and we even managed to spend some time in Malta in July. Just before Christmas, he was told he would be getting a break from chemo and that the cancer seemed to be in remission which was the best Christmas present I could have asked for. Of course, as there is currently no cure, we knew that eventually it would come back, but given the circumstances at the time, we'd hoped this meant he would be with us for a good amount of time. Unfortunately, just a few weeks later he was back in hospital, as the cancer had spread to the other side of his chest. He had some small surgical procedures and we hoped that this would help. A little time later my mum and dad headed to the hospital for a checkup, I was on my way to meet them there. At this point my dad was finding it hard to breathe and walk certain distances, which wasn't a good sign. On my way there, my mum told me to let me know when I was there so I could meet her, which didn't fill me with much confidence. When I arrived, she told me the worst news I could have hoped for. My dad had only been given a few weeks to live. I don't think I'd truly ever felt heartbreak in my life, until that moment. The physical and emotional pain was overwhelming. The diagnosis was right and sadly on 10th March this year, my dad passed away. The weeks leading up to that moment were the worst in all my life. Nobody should ever have to watch a loved one deteriorate so quickly in front of their eyes. It's still so hard for me to get my head around and doesn't feel real at all.
That is why this year I will be running 10k for Mesothelioma UK, in hope to help fund finding a cure for this evil disease.
My dad knew I wanted to do this before he passed and was so proud of me. There is no way I will be letting him down! Though it may not be a physical presence, I know he will be there with me on the day.
I began my training this week after not having run for such a long time! I managed to do 6.8k (4.23mi) in 59 mins. I know that with him on my mind, I'll be able to push myself to the 10k point.
My target to raise is £1000 and I'm currently just under the halfway mark. Thank you to everyone that has donated so far, and to those that would like to donate, you can do so on my justgiving page, thank you <3 -- https://www.justgiving.com/mikaela10k
I will be updating this blog with training logs and such, if anyone has any good running tips, please do get in touch! Thanks!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read one of my more personal posts. xxx
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