Joanna Morfield is just one of thousands taking part in this year’s London Marathon on April 27th
Like many people Joanna Morfield’s reason for running the London Marathon is very personal as she takes to the streets in memory of her mum, Rosie.
The 50-year-old from Oxted will be joining the tens of thousands of runners who will be taking part in the 26.2-mile race on Sunday, 27th April and hopes to raise £2,000 for Surrey based charity, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF), in the process.
The charity supports disabled people of all ages and those with acquired neurological disabilities to achieve their potential and be as independent as possible. The charity’s services support almost 10,000 disabled children and adults annually, including its Care and Rehabilitation Centre in the heart of Surrey which is a modern and comfortable centre of neuro rehabilitation expertise.
Joanna, who also ran the London marathon last year on the first anniversary of her mum’s death, said: “I was supposed to run the London marathon in April 2023 however in the March of that year my mum Rosie suffered a catastrophic head injury that led to a brain bleed, leaving her paralysed down her left side. She was unable to sit up or walk. While in the hospital, she began to show slow signs of improvement, and we had hope, we could see signs of our mum coming back and the doctors started talking about transferring her to QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation centre, a place that specialises in helping people with disabilities, as well as those recovering from strokes, and head trauma survivors like my mum.
“Tragically, before she could make it there and two days before I was due to run the marathon, my mum’s health deteriorated, and she sadly passed away. We were and still are heartbroken.”
A few months later a friend, a supporter of the charity, told her there were spaces available for 2025. Joanna got in touch and was given a place.
“Though my mum never made it to the QEF, knowing the charity existed gave us hope during such a difficult time and it feels meaningful to run for it in her honour. Being given the chance to run for QEF in 2025 feels like a beautiful connection back to my mum.”
Jolene Ryan, Senior Events, Community and Partnerships Executive at QEF said: “It is wonderful to hear from Joanna that we could play a small part in giving her hope when she needed it most and having her run this year as part of our team is such a poignant way for her to mark the second anniversary of her mum’s passing. The money she is raising will make a considerable difference to the people we continue to support on their journey to greater independence.”
To sponsor Joanna please visit JOANNA MORFIELD is fundraising for Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People
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