Cancer survivor to take on charity run
A third generation cancer survivor is urging women to bounce into action in the fight against cancer by signing up for a Cancer Research UK Pretty Muddy event.
Joanne Griffiths, aged 39, is the third generation of her family to beat breast cancer, and the disease was only diagnosed because her mum, Gillian Griffiths, was worried about the family history and encouraged her to have a mammogram at the age of 36.
Joanne, from Cannock, who works as an assistant planner at Western Power in Telford, is launching the mud-splattered obstacle event which takes place in venues across the Midlands this summer, including Pretty Muddy at Weston Park on May 6 and at Cofton Park in Birmingham on July 18.
“Mum survived breast cancer herself, as did her mum, so we didn’t want to take any chances, she said.
"Even so, it was still a huge shock when I was diagnosed. I was in training for the Weston Park Pretty Muddy in May 2015 at the time, but instead of taking part in the event I found myself booked in for surgery!”
“I was gutted not to be running it, but I managed to get along and cheer my friends on. A week later I had a lumpectomy and my lymph nodes removed. My children, Brandon and Poppy, were aged five and eighteen months at the time, so it made life very difficult.”
Joanne then had chemotherapy and made the decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
Her treatment was completed with radiotherapy and hormone therapy. She is now clear of cancer and she and her family are undergoing genetic testing.
“It was December by the time I had my double mastectomy, and in December they gave me the news that no cancerous or pre-cancerous tissue had been removed during surgery – the chemo had done its job. It was the best Christmas present ever!”
Joanne will be taking part in Weston Park Pretty Muddy with a team of mums called ‘The Three Musketeers’. Her mum and children will be cheering her on.
Pretty Muddy is a women-only, non-competitive 5k and 10k obstacle course - with added mud, thrills and spills.
From space hoppers and scramble nets to inflatable slides and hurdles, participants will face a range of muddy obstacles to crawl under, clamber over and charge through - all to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research.
The Race for Life family of events also includes the traditional 5k and 10k courses, which thousands of women will take part in across the Midlands this summer.
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Survival rates have doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
To enter Race for Life Pretty Muddy today go to raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.
