An inspirational local woman is racking up the miles this May to raise vital funds for The Brain Tumour Charity after her husband's devastating diagnosis.
Running for a Cause
Sarah Neal needs to maintain a distance of at least 7km each day throughout the month to reach her 200km target, while balancing the challenge with a busy family life. She is running to support the charity and for her beloved husband Chris, who was diagnosed with an astrocytoma brain tumour in March 2023.
Chris tragically suffered a seizure while working away in Holland and had to break the news to his family over a video call. Since that day, Chris has endured two surgeries and three rounds of chemotherapy, and his immense strength is an inspiration to family and friends.
Overwhelming Support
Buoyed on by support from Chris, their two children, Lucas, nine, and Ava, 12, Sarah is already halfway through the challenge and has raised more than £6,000. Donations have flooded in from all over the world, including from Alaska and Saudi Arabia, completely smashing Sarah's modest initial target of £500.
The running challenge has come at a poignant time for the family, as Chris has recently started another round of chemotherapy. Chris plans to join Sarah towards the finish line for the final kilometre, and both Lucas and Ava have also been joining in on the daily runs.
Family Effort
Sarah said: "When he was diagnosed, he was on his own, away from the kids and me – we had to FaceTime the news. It was brutal." Buoyed on by support from Chris, their two children, Lucas, nine, and Ava, 12, and family and friends, Sarah is halfway through the challenge and has already raised over £6,000 in donations.
"I didn't realise we knew that many people to be fair, but we do have lots of family, and we used to live in Saudi Arabia, and we've been back a few years now, and people still living there have helped. We've had friends from Alaska, all over the place, donate. With things and cost of living being so expensive right now, I thought I'd just put the target at £500, and I just can't believe it. People were donating before I even started, and I thought I'm going to have to complete it now."
Chris plans to join Sarah towards the finish, and Lucas and Ava are also joining in. "Ava's 12, but running isn't her natural thing. She's a dancer, but she has been coming out with me. I think she'd rather be doing back flips alongside me to be honest. Whereas with my son Lucas, football is his life, so he does some speed training at a local club, and he already enjoys it. He's got a competitive nature to him, so he's always asking about the stats, the times and stuff. He's giving me a run for my money with the pace, and he's half the size of me!"
"And Chris used to love running, we've done a couple of half marathons together over the years, he's always been super fit. He can't do what he used to do now, but I think we've inspired him to get out walking, and we'll do the last kilometre or something, so we all finish together."
The number of offers from people running partners has been great, from friends, from my great timing as a sister who's been out with me. It's been good timing as the last few months things have been particularly challenging for us as Chris has started more chemotherapy. "He has a strength that is amazing, you wouldn't know despite the pain he's in every day. He's an inspiration."
To donate, visit Sarah's JustGiving page.
