A HALESOWEN nurse is preparing to run the London Marathon.
Georgina Brabham, 36, will take on the challenge on April 26 in memory of her late father Stephen Brabham, a retired Army paratrooper from Sheffield who died from sarcoma in September 2023 at the age of 70.
Mr Brabham had first noticed shoulder pain in June 2023, but it was soon followed by a rapidly growing lump on his back.
After a CT scan and biopsy, he was diagnosed with sarcoma.
His daughter, Ms Brabham said: "It felt like my world was falling apart."
The cancer was inoperable and Mr Brabham died just three months after his initial GP visit.
Known to friends and family as ‘Brab’, he was married to Jacqueline for more than 40 years and was proud of his South Wales roots.
He loved rugby and often travelled to Cardiff to watch Wales play.
Ms Brabham, an NHS nurse, began her career supporting patients with aggressive bone and soft tissue tumours.
She said: "After university, I started a nursing post at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, supporting patients diagnosed with aggressive bone and soft tissue tumours.
"The complex journey they often travelled was inspiring, so many of them taking a 'just get on with it' attitude."
She will run the London Marathon to raise funds for Sarcoma UK.
She said: "He knew I was running the London Marathon in 2024 but sadly never got to see me complete it.
"He'd check in regularly on how my long runs were going and help me fix my broken feet as I clocked up the miles."
Louisa Morgan, head of public fundraising at Sarcoma UK, said: "Georgina's story is incredibly moving.
"As a nurse who has dedicated her career to caring for cancer patients, she understands better than most just how devastating a diagnosis like this can be."
To donate to Ms Brabham's fundraiser, visit: tinyurl.com/2ed7cp6e
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