Not alone: Real stories from Macmillan Cancer Support

Cara’s father was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, and her family relied on the support that Macmillan gave them to get through it together. Cara says “'Without them I think it would have been an altogether more scary experience, and more lonely really. Macmillan gives you information in a really digestible way. And they’re there to support you when you're having a down day.”

In fact Cara appreciated the support that the Macmillan nurses had given her family so much that she decided she wanted to do something more to help the charity, and give something back to families going through the same difficult experience as her own. She did her first 10k run to raise money for them five years ago, and felt so great afterwards that the very next day she signed up for the even bigger challenge of a half marathon. Nowadays, Cara has gone further again, and works in the Fundraising team at Macmillan.

Her running hasn’t stopped though – she still runs races to raise money for Macmillan, and trains on a regular basis with her friend Stephen. She is currently training to do her first full marathon. Cara’s father sadly lost his battle with cancer last year, but this has made her even more determined to raise as much money as she can for Macmillan. Cara says “Helping other people is absolutely an inspiration for me. And when it's raining and cold and dark and I really don't want to go out, I think about how my dad would be giving me a kick out the door.”

To find out about Cara and Stephen’s story watch the video above, or read more real stories from Macmillan.