A Sharnbrook mum is turning her family’s experience of childhood cancer into something positive as she trains for next year’s TCS London Marathon in support of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.
Jude Goodacre, 54, will be running and fundraising for the charity that helped her daughter Isabel rebuild her confidence after a leukaemia diagnosis.
Isabel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer, and later took part in the Trust’s sailing trips for young people recovering from cancer.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust supports young people aged 8 to 24 through sailing and outdoor adventures, helping them to believe in a brighter future during and after cancer treatment.
Finding ‘the old Isabel’
Jude said the Trust’s support came at a time when normal family life had been put on hold.
“When my daughter was in the first year of treatment for ALL, we couldn’t go on holiday. Isabel loved the outdoors, and our specialist nurse, Alison, told us about the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and said she would put Isabel forward for the next year. We all found this very exciting and something to look forward to.
“I have seen and experienced the difference the Trust can make. We always said that when Isabel came back from the trip she was like the ‘old Isabel’.
“It wasn’t just the sailing, although that was an incredible experience in itself. It was the other young people, and – most importantly – the kind of magic in the way the trips are run. I want to help others have that.
“I am an ordinary person whose daughter was poorly and benefited hugely from a charity that an extraordinary person, Ellen MacArthur, decided to set up just to help. She didn’t have to do that. I feel that it is important to give back.”
Cancer in childhood, the teenage years or early adulthood can leave a long shadow.
Friendships and relationships can be affected, education is often disrupted and many young people live with long-term side effects, changes to their body image and anxiety about the future.
Through its sailing and outdoor adventures, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust helps young people reconnect with their independence, rebuild their self-worth and feel more hopeful about what comes next.
Crucially, they meet others who have been through something similar and realise they are not alone.
Training
Jude has not fundraised for the Trust before, although she previously “volunteered” her husband for an epic bike ride between the charity’s two bases, from Largs on Scotland’s west coast to Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
This time, she will be the one taking on the miles, fitting marathon training – especially strength work – around her role as a deputy head of pastoral and student progress, her Open University studies and walking the family dog.
She said: “I am excited about running past incredible London landmarks and proud to take on the marathon having raised money for – and helped shine a light on – such a wonderful charity.”
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust supports young people long after treatment ends, offering them a place to turn whenever they need it. More information is available at ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org or by following @emctrust on Instagram.
Anyone wishing to support Jude’s fundraising can donate at her fundraising page.
