Newbury sisters running the London Marathon for aunty with breast cancer
Two sisters from Newbury have entered the London Marathon for a family member with breast cancer.
Paige and Millie Pope are raising money for Breast Cancer Now and have set up fundraising pages and have raised almost £2,000 combined thus far.
The girls – both in their twenties- will be running what will be their first marathon in April for their 55-year-old aunty Jacqueline Talbot, who was diagnosed last April.
Jackie has lived in Newbury all her life with her husband Lee and dog Mowgli and is described as a sociable person with lots of friends.
Her nieces say the diagnosis was a first for the family with no direct members ever experiencing anything like this before.
“I think one of the hardest for us as her nieces is not seeing her as her authentic self,” said 25-year-old law firm HR Paige Pope.
“It’s seeing her not being able to go out and socialise and do the things that she normally would.
“It has been tough for us to see her deteriorate this year.
“It is upsetting but we are all just trying to be strong.”
She added: “Breast cancer touches so many lives and so many families now so we are trying to be here as much as we can for each other.
“It has been really beneficial to learn about the treatment, the stages and how she feels so it has been an emotional journey.”
The girls, who will be running the marathon with their 51-year-old father Lee, have been training together and are feeling the pressure.
“I don’t think I have ever experienced leg pain like this,” said 22-year-old Bournemouth University biology student Millie Pope.
The girls will be taking to London with travelling support from their friends as well as parents, grandparents, Aunty Paula and Jackie herself.
Paige said: “She was really happy and really thrilled that our pages are dedicated to all women and men touched by it [cancer] but specifically to Jackie herself so I think it means a lot to her.”
Millie added: “We are excited to do this but also to finish and have completed it.”
Their fundraising pages can be found here:
Millie: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/millie-pope
Paige: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paigepope
They will be running on April 23.
