Cam

My Why

🏃‍♂️ 26.2 miles for my G’Ma ❤️

On 25 April 2027, I’ll be taking on the London Marathon.

26.2 miles.

It’s going to hurt. It’s going to be tough. There will probably be plenty of moments where I question why on earth I thought this was a good idea.

But whenever it gets difficult, I’ll think of my G’Ma.

My Grandma, or G’Ma, as she was affectionately known, was quite simply the Queen of our family. And not just because of how important she was to all of us… there was a slight resemblance too! 👑

After losing my Grandpa to a heart attack, G’Ma lived alone in Norwich. We’d travel from Suffolk to see her as often as we could, and she was the kind of person who could never do enough for you.

Her famous words were always:

“What can I get you now?”

Usually after she’d already cooked, prepared and delivered approximately seven courses that day!

In 2013, shortly after my sister Rosie got married, everything changed.

G’Ma suffered a devastating stroke. She lost the ability to speak and lost the strength and grip down the left side of her body.

I was actually on my way to New Zealand for a year-long working holiday when I heard the news.

It was touch and go.

I cancelled everything and flew home on the next available flight.

G’Ma was a fighter. She had already beaten cancer multiple times in her life, and if you knew her, you knew there was only ever going to be one winner.

When I walked into Norwich Hospital and saw her, I’ll never forget that moment.

Despite everything she had been through, she still had that twinkle in her eye.

And then came that soft smile.

That was my G’Ma.

Sadly, a few years later, we lost her.

But we never lost what she gave us.

Her love. Her strength. Her humour. Her kindness.

And she has never stopped being part of our family.

So, when I run those 26.2 miles, I’ll be carrying her with me.

And honestly, when I think about everything G’Ma fought through, 26.2 miles doesn’t seem quite so frightening.

I’m incredibly proud to be running the London Marathon in her memory and raising money for the Stroke Association.

Every few seconds, another family is hearing the words “they've had a stroke” and another family's lives are changed forever.

So if you can donate, please do. £5, £10, £20, whatever you can afford. It all adds up.

This one is for you, G’Ma. ❤️