Becky, aged 25 has grown up in Buxton, “we have always known about Blythe House Hospice as Blythe is a local hospice to us. It wasn’t until Mum was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 that we were truly aware of the services and support they offer at the Hospice.
Joanna, Becky’s mum, received a range of care and support services from Blythe House Hospice, Becky shared “Mum always spoke so highly of all the services that she accessed at Blythe House Hospice. Mum absolutely loved going along to the peer support group as she felt like this was an opportunity to talk to people in similar circumstances, who understood what she was going through. Mum also accessed alternative therapies, advice and support from the palliative care nurses, and equipment from the Occupational Therapist to help make her everyday life that little bit easier, and more comfortable.”
One of the main support groups Joanna attended was the Thursday afternoon group in the Community Hub at Blythe House Hospice. Becky shared ‘I remember, me and mum always had a routine, I would finish work and give her a call on a Thursday evening when I walked home, and mum would share how she got on at the group. She would always be so joyful and pleased with how the group went and how it was so lovely to share with friends how she felt, it just made such a difference to her.”
Becky was set to take on ultimate challenge of the Endurance Life Peak District Ultra Marathon on the 23rd of November 2024, in aid of Blythe House Hospice – however due to unforeseen weather conditions the challenge was postponed until February 2025. “I have taken on challenges before for charities that mean a lot to me and my family, but this time I thought I would take it that step further and sign up for the ultra-marathon!”
Becky didn’t let the weather stop her, instead she decided to take on the challenge by herself in the cold, snowy conditions and complete an Ultra Marathon in an incredible 8 hours and 14 minutes! Becky shared: “To say it was a challenge would be an understatement, but I did it! A wintry start but the sun did eventually come out in the afternoon. Finishing in a time of 8 hours 14 minutes, now time to start the next training plan to beat my time in February!”
“I am so proud of myself for completing my first Ultra Marathon on my own! With only 9 weeks of training, having not really run that much since I was younger and only picking it up again since June this year, my family and friends did think I had lost the plot, but I thought what better opportunity to fundraise and be able to give something back to a charity that offered so much support and love to mum when she needed it most”
Last year Becky had been away traveling for just over a year, after returning home in June 2024 the longest she had run was 6km on the flat before starting to do some more running over the summertime. “Deciding to run a hilly 52km was a bit daunting to start with and has massively challenged my fitness, but it has been great motivation to carry on training even as it has gotten darker in the mornings and evenings.”
In Becky’s spare time, she explained “I enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors. For 14 months I travelled Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia seeing and doing as much as I could before returning home. Whilst I was away, I did a lot of hiking which gave me a good level of fitness and I wanted to keep this up as much as I could when I came home. I have quite an active job as a Physiotherapist but with not as much free time when I went back to work, I transitioned more into trail running to enjoy being outdoors as much as I could.”
“I would just like to say thank you to Blythe House Hospice in any way I can, and it is my pleasure to be able to give back by fundraising and raising awareness for all the amazing work that they do. For mum it was a place she felt comfortable, somewhere she could just be herself.”
If you’re interested in taking on a fundraising challenge, like Becky, please email our fundraising team at: fundraising@blythehouse.co.uk
