A YOUNG woman inspired by her mum’s bravery during her cancer treatment is undertaking three major challenges to raise money for charity.
When Phoebe Le Breton found out her mum Nicky, 44, who works at a local building merchant, had been diagnosed with breast cancer last summer, she felt “helpless” like there was “nothing she could do to help”.
The 20-year-old, who grew up on the Island and is in her first year of studying mechanical engineering at university, said it left her with a “fear that sits in your chest and never quite leaves”.
But throughout the whole process she said her family have received overwhelming support from friends, charities and the wider community. So she became decided to turn that “helplessness into action”, and give back to those who have helped them.
“In those quiet, heavy moments that follow a diagnosis I wanted to do something more than just watch,” she said. “That’s why I have decided to run a half-marathon, complete the Lake District 100km Ultra Challenge and climb Mount Kilimanjaro.”
The first challenge, the London Landmarks Half Marathon, is just over a month away on 12 April. But she has more time to train for the Lake District 100km Ultra Challenge on the 6 and 7 June and her climb of Mount Kilimanjaro that begins on August 27.
The “large scale of these challenges” resonated with her because she felt “they reflect the scale of difficulties that so many families go through”, she explained. She’s undertaking them to raise money for charities that support such families.
A GoFundMe page she has set up has a target of £1,000 which she has already raised nearly half of, at £455 so far. All funds will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, Dig Deep and Breast Cancer Now, which she says are all “really special” to her.
“These charities work on the frontlines to provide vital support, expert guidance and conduct life-saving research,” she said. “Most importantly they give hope to individuals and families when they need it most and your donations help make that lifeline possible.”
Of the challenges ahead of her, she said: “I won’t pretend this is easy. There will be early mornings, sore muscles and days that push me to my limit. But when I feel like stopping I’ll think of my mum and every family who needs someone in their corner.”
She described how her mum who has just finished five months of chemotherapy and is waiting for an operation to remove a couple of tumours “seems happy” when she shares training updates with her, and how it feels like they’re “motivating each other”.
It’s “quite inspiring” she says seeing how her mum handles her “harsh and invasive” treatment. “Seeing the strength that she faces inspires me to really push through,” she said.
