Marathon Mark runs for Hospice
Mark Evans wanted to tell us why he completed the London Marathon
earlier this month, raising much-needed funds for East Lancashire Hospice.
“I guess, first of all, I should explain my link to East
Lancashire Hospice. Unfortunately it`s due to my lovely wife of 22 years Susan,
spending 3 weeks there over a few months until her final stay for end of life
care in April 2014. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer the previous spring and
although she fought it bravely, the end was inevitable. But the care she
received at the Hospice was second to none. She was seen as a person and not a
patient. All the staff took time to chat. Not rushing off or leaving questions
unanswered. As much I appreciate our wonderful NHS, myself and the rest of the
family were so relieved that Sue spent her last days in the care of the Hospice
rather than being an anonymous patient in a huge hospital.
“I started running to keep fit when I turned 50. Couch to 5K
is a great way to get active. Moving forward 4 years and I found myself
training for the London Marathon! Like lots of others in the Marathon, they run
to raise much needed funds for lots of charities. As East Lancashire Hospice
had been so helpful to us then it was an easy decision to make for me to run on
their behalf.
“I followed a 16 week training plan through the summer. On
days when it was in the high 20s or even 30 degrees, I had to commit to getting
up around 5.30am so I could run while it was still fairly cool. I was also
running with a torn meniscus in my right knee which I`m still waiting for
surgery to fix.
“On the day of the Marathon I felt good. All I had to do was
put one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles. Unfortunately, around 10
miles in I could feel blisters on both feet. All through my training, I`d not
had any issues like that. They only got worse as I continued. The atmosphere
was amazing though and really did help to get me to the finish line. So glad
that I`d finished! I was in pain. Very emotional. It took me a few days for it to sink in that
I`d actually done it. And as well as completing the London Marathon, I`d
received over £1300 in donations for the Hospice.
“Thank you for all you do.”
Mark has raised £1348 on behalf of East Lancashire Hospice,
an incredible amount, which we are truly grateful for.
If you would like to raise money on behalf of East Lancashire
Hospice, contact Jackie on 01254 965875 for advice and support.