Focusing on London Marathon helps cancer survivor

A woman who had an aggressive form of breast cancer said focusing on the London Marathon had been helpful in her recovery.

Kate Smith, 51, of Milton Keynes, was diagnosed early in 2022 after feeling pins and needles in her breasts over the previous Christmas.

After a year of treatment she found a fresh outlook and hopes to complete the course on Sunday.

She said the prospect was "terrifying" but cancer had given her a "wake-up call".

Ms Smith, who was born and brought up in Northamptonshire, endured two courses of chemotherapy, two major operations and four weeks of radiotherapy.

"The first weeks of being told you have cancer are horrendous," she admitted.

"You can't say enough how hard it is, mentally.

"It happens to other people, not you.

"I was no longer the fit and athletic person I used to be."

She added that the end of chemotherapy was her worst point as it left her with a feeling of "what next?", which has stayed with her.

Ms Smith embarked on The Hope Course, which is offered by Macmillan Cancer Support and teaches coping strategies for those living with cancer.

Having found a new focus, she decided to take on the London Marathon, in aid of Macmillan.

"It is terrifying and it's a lot further than I have ever run," she said

"Cancer gave me a wake-up call.

"What do I want to do with my next 20 years?

'My advice is to focus on the positives and do what you can do.

"I am less fit than I have ever been but it's about tenacity, not athleticism.

'It's one of those things that few people get to do and it's about the experience, not about the running.'

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