Grantham woman to take on London marathon to raise money for Lymphoma Action

A cancer survivor will be taking on the London marathon to raise money for charity.

Clare Ford, who lives in Grantham, will be running the 26-mile marathon on Sunday, April 27, to raise money for Lymphoma Action.

The 55-year-old, who work as a urology patient pathway navigator at North West Anglia NHS Trust which runs Stamford Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital, was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma in 2020.

She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy after her diagnosis and finished her treatment on April 28, 2021, almost four years to the date of this year’s marathon.

She said: “As a family we have done a fair bit of raising awareness and funds for Lymphoma Action, a charity that supported me through treatment and beyond and I will be forever grateful to them for getting me through an incredibly difficult time.”

Clare ran the marathon for the first time in 2014. Her husband Brendan and son Michael have also run the marathon over the last couple of years.

Last year, Michael also ran from John O’ Groats to Lands’ End via the Three Peaks over a 20-day challenge for the charity.

Taking from her son’s inspiration, Clare hopes to build on the family’s fundraising.

She added: “The training so far has been challenging, particularly in the recent spell of cold weather, but I have been spurred on and motivated by wonderful family and friends.”

As well as running for Grantham Running Club, Clare also joined Fighting Fit 5k, based at Belton near Grantham, which helped her to regain her confidence in running.

She said: “I know it will be emotional and a lot has happened since I first ran the marathon in 2014, but I am determined to cross that finish line!”

Anyone who would like to donate can do so at http://justgiving.com/page/clare-ford-1727705550118?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL.

Lymphoma Action is the UK’s only charity dedicated to lymphoma.