Mum of three in Race for Life in memory of loved ones
Last updated 11:34, Friday, 09 May 2008
A WOMAN who lost five members of her family to cancer will don her trainers this summer to raise money as a tribute to them.
Susan Sanderson, aged 47, will have taken part in the charity fund-raising Race For Life five times this year, raising over £500 for Cancer Research.
Susan, of Westfield, Workington, lost her mum Mary Dover, 13 years ago.
She said: “I have lost quite a lot of my family – and my mother was only 55 when she died. She died really suddenly.”
Susan said that her mother, who lived in Darcy Street, Workington, was unwell for a few months before being diagnosed with cancer.
She said: “She was taken into the West Cumberland Hospital on the Saturday and told on the Tuesday that she only had days to live and she died the following Saturday.
“It was really quick and we didn’t expect it.
“We had no idea that she had cancer and her death was really hard to adjust to.”
Susan’s family suffered another blow when her grandfather Bob Townsley, 76, died six months later and grandmother Agnes Townsley, 78, died a few years after that – also from cancer. Her father’s parents also died from the disease.
She added: “It does concern me that so many people in my family have contracted cancer but I look after myself.”
She said that taking part in Race For Life was therapeutic and a great way to remember a loved one.
She has previously walked the course with her eight-year-old daughter Mia and will be running this year with her friend Melanie Irving of Clifton Lodge, Great Clifton, who has lost both parents to cancer.
Susan’s sister Karen Irving, who lives in Wigan, will also be taking part in the race.
“I really enjoy Race For Life, it is a great atmosphere and a really tribute to people who have passed away,” Susan added.
“The atmosphere is electric and the adrenaline is pumping through your veins.
“Everyone is so understanding and the messages they put on the back of their t-shirts really brings a lump to the back of your throat.
“I have raised about £500 for Cancer Research over the years – it is such a worthy cause.
Susan also has two sons Karl, 24, and Shane, 20, who she said are extremely supportive of her.
n Are you taking part in Race for Life this year? Have you run before in memory of a suffer or are you a cancer survivor yourself?
We want to hear your story. Contact reporter Linzi Watson by email at lwatson@cngroup.co.uk or telephone 01228 612643.
To sign up for the event at the Sheepmount Stadium on Sunday, July 13, visit www.raceforlife.org/northeast or call 08705 134314.
LWatson@cngroup.co.uk
