Fulwood mum breaks 20-year pledge at Great North Run, raising £1,370 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation
Louisa Swift, a 40-year NHS veteran, completed the Great North Run in support of her daughter Emily, who is undergoing treatment for a rare brain tumour
A Fulwood mum-of-three broke a 20-year-old pledged when she returned to the north east to complete her second Great North Run
Louisa Swift raised more than £1,370 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
She was one of 24 runners running the half marathon for the charity and had vowed “never again” on finishing the course for the first in 2006.
Louisa had run in support of her mum, who was being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre for breast cancer. Now Louisa is a visitor to the cancer centre again but this time, with her daughter Emily.
Last October, 26-year-old Emily, an assistant psychologist with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma, a very rare type of primary brain tumour that affects around five people in a million.
Emily’s tumour was discovered after Emily had suffered a migraine that caused a sudden, temporary loss of vision.
A trip to the optician to have her eyesight checked raised neurological concerns that led to Emily visiting the emergency department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital where a scan detected the tumour.
In January, Emily underwent surgery at the Royal Preston Hospital during which neurosurgeon Mr Isaac Phang worked to remove as much of the tumour as possible.
Since then, Emily has had two more surgeries – one to remove additional tumour and a third due to wound healing complications, which resulted in a piece of Emily’s skull bone about the size of a 50 pence piece being removed.
Despite this, Emily, along with big sister Katie, 29, a lawyer and mum-of-one, also ran the Great North Run, setting off in a wave ahead of Louisa and finishing in around two hours to raise £8,981 for research charity The Brain Tumour Charity.
Louisa, who finished in just over three hours, taking only five minutes longer than she had done 20 years ago despite having to wear a knee brace, said: “I’m incredibly proud of my girls, who are now looking at running other half marathons.
“On the other hand, I have told my husband Mike that if ever I say I’m running further than a 5k park run again to shoot me! The GNR may have a wonderful atmosphere with people lining the street cheering you on, offering Jelly Babies, ice pops and oranges but it’s still a long way to run, it’s hard work and my calves are wrecked.”
Louisa, who has worked for the NHS for almost 40 years and is currently project managing the implementation of a Cancer Psychology Pathway across Lancashire and South Cumbria, added: “Having said that, the care Emily has received has been exemplary for which we, her family, are so grateful. Mr Phang and his team have treated Emily with kindness, warmth and genuine humanity, ensuring she has felt listened to and respected throughout everything she has gone through.
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“We are in awe of both the team and Emily’s courage as she faces further treatment. Emily, Katie and I are very grateful to everyone who sponsored us to run the GNR. I must also add my thanks to my 21-year-old son Isaac, who gave me my knee brace as a Mothers’ Day gift.”
In addition to those running for Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, also had 11 runners supporting the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals by running either for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity (LTHC) or Baby Beat, which looks after mums, babies and their families at the Royal Preston’s Sharoe Green Maternity Unit.
LTHC runners included Richard Appleby, of Preston, who ran as part of a quartet that included his uncle Kevin Thomas and cousins Joe and George Thomas. They took on the GNR to raise funds for the Royal Preston’s Children’s Ward in memory of Richard’s late brother Daniel Appleby, who had often been a patient on the ward.
Among Baby Beat’s runners was Preston mum-of-one Kim Bradshaw, who ran to support the charity’s funding of bereavement services in memory of her three babies lost to a rare bone disorder.
Kim said: “All three babies passed away from a rare bone disorder at five months gestation, so that’s why Baby Beat is so precious to me, as giving birth with such caring midwives and a room that was funded by this charity helped get us through it.”
Dan Hill, head of charities for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “Our thanks and congratulations to everyone who took on the GNR in support of the trust’s charity family.
“I know Sunday’s warm, sunny weather made the run extra tough this year. We are so grateful for the difference runners’ donations will make to so many patients at Rosemere Cancer Centre, other cancer units at hospitals throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria and at the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals.”
All three charities work to fund the latest in cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative patient services, initiatives and comforts that the NHS cannot afford.