Me (on the right) and one of my best friends Beki during last year’s MoonWalk
“My beautiful mum Tracey passed away from breast cancer in February last year – she was an incredible woman and we miss her hugely. She is the sole reason I’ll be taking on the Half Moon (15.1 miles) for the second time at The MoonWalk London on Saturday 17th May. I’m planning to keep on signing up every single year, to walk and raise money in her memory.
Mum had a heart of gold – she was a nurse who simply loved her job. Everyone who came into contact with her just adored her – she was always the life and soul of the party and put everyone else first. When we lost my Dad just coming up to seven years ago, she was an absolute rock for me and my brother.
Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time, which was a huge shock. She had chemotherapy, followed by a single mastectomy and her cancer went into remission. But when she was 55, she was diagnosed with a different type of breast cancer – triple negative this time, which is a very aggressive form of the disease. She had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a double mastectomy. She went into remission again.
Unfortunately, early last year, we found out that Mum’s breast cancer had spread and was incurable. Her doctors had found cancer in her lymph nodes, her liver and her spine. Hearing this news was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced at the time. I couldn’t take it all in but had to be strong so that my mum knew my brother and I would be ok. Her only fear was how we would cope.
Initially, we were told that she would probably live for another five years, but she became incredibly unwell, very quickly. Thirteen days after her secondary breast cancer diagnosis, she was having treatment in hospital – my brother and I were there – when she deteriorated rapidly and suddenly died. It was so quick and totally out of the blue, but my brother and I felt that it was a blessing in a way, as she’d been in so much pain. We were so thankful that we had actually been there for Mum when she passed away. During the years since her first breast cancer diagnosis, the three of us had been such a tight unit, supporting each other and we’d seen her go through so much.
Just three months after Mum died, I completed the Half Moon at The MoonWalk London 2024. Taking part in The MoonWalk was something which Mum had always wanted to do – we were planning to do it together. With Mum’s illness, we never got that chance. After her first breast cancer diagnosis, she had been regularly involved in as many fundraising projects as she could, as well as raising so much awareness about breast cancer. Now my brother and I are carrying on the fundraising baton in her name!
Pictured on the left “My Mum, with my daughter Willow. This is one of the last photos I took of Mum – she was incredibly poorly, but still took us on a train to visit Santa!”. Pictured on the right “Mum before the Spice Girls tour, wearing her favourite leopard print”
My brother has completed a number of ultra marathons over the last year, but for me, it’s The MoonWalk and I plan to continue taking part for as long as I can. Hearing other people’s stories and reasons for taking part is incredibly inspiring and the atmosphere at the event is wonderful.
Throwing myself into fundraising gives my grief a huge focus. Although it’s a very emotional night, we also have a lot of fun at The MoonWalk too. Mum loved wearing leopard print and that’s now our thing! We wear leopard print leggings – even the men are rocking the leopard print look, including my partner Ashley who adored my mum.
I know Mum would have loved seeing us all embracing her memory in such a brilliant, fun way. And she would have been so proud too”.
Thank you for sharing your story Holly and we look forward to seeing you and your team at The MoonWalk London 2025!