My Story

In the summer of 2024, my wonderful mum, Alison Rogers, was diagnosed with suspected kidney cancer. Within one short year of this, my happy, healthy mum had been cruelly taken from us by a cancer which outpaced any treatment she was given. 

Slow diagnosis and treatment combined with what turned out to be a high-grade urothelial cancer all combined to make an incredibly stressful situation which degenerated faster than our capacities to adapt to it. My mum fought hard against the cancer, but fighting hard for a year is exhausting work, as is being a caregiver for someone facing that scenario. 

It was in this that the value of organisations such as Cherry Lodge Cancer Care really become clear. They provided so much support to both my mum and my dad - who was with her almost all the time through that last year. From counselling to complementary therapy workshops for pain management, Cherry Lodge was a lifeline for my family in the darkest moments of our lives. 

Cancer is a terrifying thing. But because of organisations like Cherry Lodge, it's not something people have to face alone. I'm raising money for them by running the London Landmarks Half Marathon so that they can continue to provide the wonderful service they provided to my mum and family to other people in need.