“OUR RUNNING IS A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO THE HOSPITAL THAT SAVED MY NIECE’S LIFE”
Michelle Darlaston ’s family has raised o ver £250,000 for charity, despite her own health problems
INSPIRATION
WORDS: LISA JA CKSON
“I want everyone to experience the buzz running can give you,” says Michelle Darlaston
Running has been a lifeline for me and my family,” says Michelle Darlaston, 39, from Fazeley in Staffordshire. “Not only has it given me headspace as a mum of two and teaching assistant, but it’s enabled my family to raise over £250,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH), which saved the life of my niece Poppy when she developed a brain tumour, aged just 14 months. When she was diagnosed, Poppy was given just a 50/50 chance of surviving, but thankfully she’s a true fighter and was eating toast just four hours after the operation. She has since undergone three more brain surgeries, 18 months of chemotherapy and a course of radiotherapy treatment.