Caroline was diagnosed with cervical cancer two years ago. She was sent in for a radical hysterectomy. Unfortunately Caroline found out that she had secondary tumours in her lungs.

She was sent in for more surgery, where the lower half of her left lung was removed and over 200 micro staples inserted. Caroline still has a tumour in her right lung which she is closely being monitored for.

Caroline’s recovery was long and painful. She needed a total of five months off of work with both surgeries in quick succession.

The lung surgery affected Caroline’s fitness hugely and to start with she was barely able to walk. She would get short of breath very quickly and really missed being able to exercise as she was a keen cycler before her diagnosis.

“I feel extremely lucky”

Once Caroline had recovered from surgery she was inspired to get her fitness back and this is what motivated her to start running. Caroline had a desire to give back and raising money for cancer research was a cause she felt very strongly about.

Caroline sometimes experiences pain in her torso caused by the scar tissue left over from her lung surgery. Going uphill is a struggle for Caroline as her lung capacity is still limited.

She will be taking the race slow and steady, but has successfully kept up with her training plan and is now really excited for race day.

Caroline said: “I had a lot of friends that weren’t as lucky as me. You don’t realise just how many people are affected by cancer, and how much until you are in that world yourself.

“I feel extremely lucky and it’s an amazing opportunity to be able to give something back for other people in similar situations in the future, and I have had a lot of fun along the way.”

If you would like to support Caroline in running the marathon you can donate to her Virgin Money Giving page.