Rachel O’Donnell tells us why she is running 18 miles to raise money for Mesothelioma UK…
“Mike and I have decided to run 18 miles from our home in Chester to my childhood home in North Wales, in memory of my lovely Dad who sadly died on 30th January 2022. The run will be on Father’s Day, 19th June 2022.
“Dad was very fit and health conscious right up until he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in December 2020. He loved walking in the countryside and would go for ‘bracing’ walks most days with my mum. Dad worked in a local factory for 30 years. He had very fond memories of the camaraderie he shared with his colleagues during his time there. However when his health started to suffer in 2020, he discovered that exposure to asbestos in the factory had been detrimental to his health and scans revealed mesothelioma in situ, in the lining of his right lung. Dad also had many heart complications but the cancer is what we believe caused his rapid decline. Over the following 12 months his health deteriorated and his breathing got more and more difficult. But my dad was always thinking of others and wanted any compensation he received from the company, to go to a mesothelioma charity.
“Dad always attended our races when he could, whether it was a 10k, Half Marathon or Full Marathon. So we wanted to do something in his name that would have made him proud and in turn raise money and awareness for Mesothelioma UK. Our run will begin at our home in Mickle Trafford (which Dad helped us to buy), and end at his home in Pentre Halkyn, North Wales, where he was born and lived in for 83 years. It will be an honour to represent him and his memory will be a huge motivation to carry us through the training and the run itself.”
