Nurse to run London Marathon in memory of her father

30 September 2019

A nurse is to run the 2020 London Marathon in memory of her father who died after a battle with brain cancer.

Abbie Bailey-Smith, who works as a Staff Nurse in Endoscopy at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, will take on the race in April next year to raise funds for Brain Research in memory of her father, Stuart Bailey.

Abbie, 25, said: “I’m running my first marathon for Brain Research in memory of my dad. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in June last year. We had a really difficult and testing 10 months and my dad was brave and an inspiration through it all.

“Given my dad’s diagnosis, my partner and I decided that we were going to get married. So in less than six weeks we had booked and planned our wedding. Thankfully my dad was there to follow me down the aisle in his wheelchair. Devastatingly, we lost my dad five days after our wedding.

“So I’ve decided to set myself this challenge to give me something to focus on and try to help others. My family and I are so grateful for the care and treatment my dad received, and I know he was grateful too.”

Training for the April 26 marathon is already in progress and Abbie has been running 5Ks and recently completed the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon. She is aiming to raise £5,500 for Brain Research – and has already held a fun day to help her reach her target.

“My colleagues have been absolutely fantastic and they are really supporting me to try and help me reach my target,” said Abbie.

“The fun day held in Madeley was a success and raised far more than I expected, which is fantastic.”

Abbie is now planning a cake sale in November followed by Christmas hamper raffle. If you would like to help Abbie reach her target, you can follow the link here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AbbieBaileySmith