Michelle

My 'Why' for the 2027 London Marathon

Hello! 

I think many of you will know that both of my parents passed away within nine days of each other in 2020 from COVID. Hearing my mother’s gasps on the phone, then the CPAP machine whirring, my father’s heartbeat on the monitor, then just eternal silence is something that I can never forget. Whilst most people stepped out of those lockdowns fairly unscathed, I emerged into a world that I could no longer recognise — and for a long time, one that I was unwilling to.

One of my best friends who patiently sat with me in the rubbles of my collapsed world is Jami. She’s one of the kindest souls I know, and definitely the strongest. She’s living with a lung condition that we know very little about which can make breathing very hard, and often leads to horrible infections. But Jami hasn’t ever let any of that stop her, and has just started doing a PhD. I’m so incredibly proud of her.

In my own PhD, I’ve been working with sequencing data from lung cancer patients. Trying to decipher patterns from the chaos in order to map out tumour evolution for the past four years has been incredibly enlightening and rewarding. I’ve learnt and grown a lot. I trust that my research is contributing to the big picture that our field is painting everyday, and it will all eventually lead to the cure and prevention of the illness.

So that’s my ‘why’.  Since my life and lung diseases are so intertwined — part begrudgingly, part willingly — it only makes sense for me to fundraise for Asthma and Lung, who are on a mission to take us closer to a world where everyone has healthy lungs. 

Any amount of support would be greatly appreciated💜 Thank you very much in advance!!

TL;DR: I'm running the London Marathon next year! This one's for mum and dad, Jami, as well as all the lung cancer patients who've generously contributed to the research I’m involved in everyday.

Lots of love,

Mich x