Marathon run for mum and Macmillan teams

Nicola Halfacre will be taking part in the Virgin London Marathon, as part of Team Macmillan, on April 23 and is hoping to raise £2,000.

In 1979 her mum Jen, aged just 35, was told she had cervical cancer and following treatment she fought the disease for the next 10 years.

It was while visiting Nicola in Australia in 2008 that Jen became ill and shortly afer returing to the UK was told the cancer had returned - only this time it was inoperable. Nicola came home to care for her mum, who died in December that year.

Other members of her family have suffered too.

Her mum’s aunt Mary, who Jen had spent time living with, died from bowel cancer in 1990. Then in 2000, her maternal grandfather died just a month after being diagnosed with skin cancer.

Nicola said: “Macmillan were there every time. They not only helped the patients, they helped me. From practical advice to a shoulder to cry on, they were always just a phone call away.”

Visit Nicola’s fundraising page at https://www.facebook.com/nixmarathon/