Mum of two runs every day of the year in memory of Uncle
23rd November 2015
A mum of two, with family in Sheffield, vowed to run every single day of 2015 to raise funds in memory of her Uncle.
Last winter, Abbie John (27) decided she would take on a 365 day running challenge, covering at least 1 mile each day, to raise vital money for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity. In 2010, Abbie's Uncle, Mark Haydn Taylor who lived in Handsworth, was diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic Cancer, and after receiving treatment at Weston Park Hospital and dedicating his final months to raising funds and awareness for the hospitals dedicated charity, Mark passed away leaving behind a devastated family. In the years following Marks death his family and friends have raised over £40,000 for the cancer charity through various fundraising initiatives. Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity is the only dedicated charity for Weston Park Hospital and exists to support the world-class cancer research and to improve the treatment and care for people living with cancer. Abbie, who lives in Bedfordshire with her husband Rob and 2 young children, decided to offer her support to the cancer charity and on New Year's Day, and every day since during 2015, has upheld her commitment and completed a run. A self-confessed novice runner, Abbie has dedicated up to an hour every day this year to her challenge, despite suffering a sprained ankle and bouts of illness along the way. Abbie said, -I wanted to set myself a huge personal challenge and one which would pose a real test to my physical and mental strength. Uncle Mark was a fighter and more than anything I want to give something back to the incredible hospital that supported him and my family throughout his entire cancer fight." "Running every day has certainly come with its challenges and at times my husband Rob has had to force me out of the door- but I am determined that, after getting this far, I will achieve the ultimate goal by completing my final run on New Year's Eve 2015." Abbie has now exceeded her target of £500 and has raised £615 for Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity with just over a month to go. With support from her family, friends and colleagues Abbie is confident that whilst juggling work, family and holidays she will continue to pull her running trainers on every day until the end of the year. She continued, "I've come this far and I'm feeling fitter and more determined each day. Even this Christmas Day, I'll be heading out for a run so that more people like my Uncle Mark can benefit from the excellent care provided by Weston Park Hospital." As well as raising money for the cancer charity, Abbie has noticed a significant improvement in her fitness levels and has reduced her average time per mile from 14 minutes to just 7. Charity Fundraiser, Sarah Cross said, -Abbie has taken on such an unbelievably tough challenge for the cancer charity and we are very grateful for every step she takes which is ultimately raising more funds for those fighting cancer." "It's very inspiring that despite juggling other commitments in her life, Abbie has upheld her promise to run every day and is nearing the end of a complete year of fundraising to remember her late Uncle Mark." "We want to encourage anyone thinking of taking on a running challenge in support of the cancer charity to get in touch and choose between some of the many organised runs or individual challenges available." Weston Park Hospital is one of only a handful of specialist cancer hospitals in England and treats patients from all over South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire a population of almost 1.8million people. The cancer charity needs to raise over £1.8 million this year to enable the funding of committed and new projects that will keep patients at the forefront of cancer treatment. To sponsor Abbie's 356 day running challenge visit her JustGiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/Abbie-John/ To find out more about running in support of Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity visit: www.runandraise.org.uk