A Kent council worker, who lost her mum to brain cancer, is taking on a fitness challenge to help raise vital funds for research into the disease.
Abbie Shufflebotham, from Folkestone, will be taking part in our 200k in May Your Way challenge, which requires participants to walk, jog, run, cycle, swim, or combine activities, to complete a 200km distance over the course of the month.
The 28-year-old plans to achieve the bulk of her total by walking with her dogs, Woody and George.
Abbie said: “I’m planning to update my tally online each day and, as I work from home and have a treadmill, I’ll be able to use that to do a bit more.”
Abbie was inspired to take part in the challenge following the death of her mum, Karen Miller (pictured top with daughters Abbie, left, and Sophie), six months after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.
Karen, an NHS physiotherapy assistant, had been experiencing headaches, tingling sensations and difficulty moving her right arm and leg. Her symptoms were initially attributed to the menopause and it was only after collapsing and suffering a seizure that her tumour was discovered.
The mum-of-two, who also fought breast cancer in 2007, was told she likely had just six months to live. Rather than endure treatment to only marginally prolong her life, she chose to make the most of the time she had left.
Karen had been bedbound for three weeks by the time she passed away at her Folkstone home in November 2020. She was 50 years old.
“It was shocking how quickly she declined after having her seizure. She always took pride in her appearance and had nice hair, make up and clothes, so seeing her so poorly was awful. My sister and I stayed with her for the two weeks leading up to her death,” Abbie added.
“I didn’t know much about brain tumours before Mum’s diagnosis so I want to do all I can to help raise awareness of them and the symptoms, and to raise money for research.
To support Abbie’s fundraising, visit https://www.facebook.com/donate/1877902196039887
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