A TAUNTON nurse used her experience of caring for people when deciding where to give funds raised ahead of her London Marathon effort.
Lucy Wheeler will be running the 26.2-mile course on April 28 for Leukaemia Care, a national blood cancer charity and has already raised more than £1,600 for the cause.
The 27-year-old was lucky enough to get a ballot place in the London Marathon and has decided to use it for good, having already worked with Leukaemia Care to set up a support group for patients in Taunton.
She said: “I am a haematology specialist nurse and see the amazing impact Leukaemia Care has with patients and staff. A patient challenged me to run a marathon and stated he would give me £100 to a charity of my choice if I did it.
“I entered the ballot not thinking I would get in. Unfortunately, he then passed away, not long before I discovered I was successful.”
A novice runner, this will be Lucy’s first attempt at the iconic marathon.
“I am not a natural runner at all. I couldn’t run more than a few miles when I started," she added.
"I have had to start training from scratch.”
Clare Brooks, who works with the Marathon runners at Leukaemia Care, said: “Our runners make all the difference to people who need that bit extra support.
"I’ve followed all our runners, including Lucy, from the point of sign up and I can’t wait for Lucy to cross that finishing line.”
Lucy has had a huge amount of support for her fundraising from the community.
She said: “CrossFit Wyvern hosted a charity competition raising a large amount of money. I also have a donation post located by the café at the cancer unit where I work for relatives and patients to place their spare change.”
If you’d like to donate to Lucy’s fundraising, head to her online donation page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-wheeler12.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel