51 for Carla (and Mary)
A 51km run to raise funds for Mary Potter Hospice on what should have been our beautiful Carla's 51st birthday.
Wellington
On 30 August 2024 I will be running 51 km on what should have been our beautiful friend Carla's 51st birthday. Carla left us on 5 June this year after a short, but brave fight with lung cancer.
This idea came about because we had joked about running 50km to celebrate her 50th in August 2023 after she had been given what turned out to be a temporary reprieve. Instead, Carla threw an amazing party with a 'Celebrate Life' theme. The cancer returned in September and though Carla was in and out of hospital from then on, she remained so positive and full of life and joy each time I saw her - so full of life in fact that we joked about running 51km for her 51st as we'd not done the 50. Looking back, it was incomprehensible to think that she wouldn't be with us by then.
So even though she won't be joining in, I will be going the distance on 30 August, to remember Carla, to celebrate life, like she wanted us to and to raise some money for Mary Potter Hospice. Mary Potter was a great support to Carla, her husband Ricardo and her family during her palliative care, and her sister-in-law is a Mary Potter volunteer, so this is a cause close to their hearts.
Disclaimer - I'm unlikely to run the distance non-stop, and some of it may need to be by bike, depending on how the training goes. I will also be in the UK so will run 5.1km of the 51 on Carla's NZ birthday. Details to follow for anyone who'd like to join in at the same time.
Latest update
Final prep, timings for the 30th and another reason to do this. 29 August 2024
I’m not feeling 100% prepared for my run/walk and I’m pretty certain that Carla and her family weren’t 100% prepared for what was to come either. But with the support of Mary Potter, they faced Carla’s last days with courage and dignity.
Today’s walk took me past my Dad’s childhood home. It’s also the home where, aged just 23, my Mum cared for my Granny Badham during her last few months after breast cancer had spread to her bones. Apart from a daily nurse visit, there was no other support for Granny, my Mum or the family. There was no local hospice and none of the other amazing support services, like bereavement counselling, provided by hospice today. Thinking about this gives me one more reason to fundraise for Mary Potter.
Tomorrow I will set out on the first leg of 51 for Carla (and Mary). At 8pm on Thursday 29 August (NZ time 7am on Friday 30th) I will run 5.1km. I hope that some of you will join me in a run at this time (or a walk) to remember our beautiful friend on what would have been her 51st birthday, and to celebrate life like she wanted us to.
I will complete the 51km the next morning. I'd like to be done before midnight NZ time, before Carla’s birthday comes to an end, but the only promise I can make is to do my best and to have fun doing so. I’m sure that’s all Carla would want (though I can still hear her telling me I’m crazy!)
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