On the 11th and 19th of May I ran a marathon & half marathon to raise money for CRY. This particular charity means a lot to me and my family after my little brother nearly lost his life in 2016 to a cardiac arrest.

Laurence has aortic stenosis and had a membrane across his aortic valve, causing him to have a cardiac arrest at school, which stopped his heart for several minutes. Thankfully the staff at Laurence’s school performed life-saving CPR meaning that a defibrillator could then be used. Laurence was rushed to hospital where he was put into an induced coma and we were told that this would most likely be our last few days with him.

In true style, he beat the odds allowing for doctors to give him open heart surgery. Laurence is now a brave, beautiful 22-year-old man with the biggest future ahead of him and a family that love him endlessly. Whilst my family is lucky that we have gotten to see Laurence grow up, almost losing someone so young who you love so much has changed our lives forever, and many have not been as fortunate as us.

Running a marathon and a half marathon has been a great way to fundraise for this incredible charity. The physical and mental challenge of training was a constant reminder of how privileged I am to have the ability to celebrate my brothers life and also brought home how difficult it is for those coping with the loss of a loved one.

Henny