Brave cancer survivor Louise Monk kicked off Scotland’s 2017 Race for Life season today- by making an emotional tribute to her mum who died from the disease.
Louise teamed up with her eight-year-old son Alfie who is a pupil at Strathdevon Primary school in Dollar to sound the airhorn and set off more than 1,000 Scots on the 5K course at Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in the picturesque grounds of the University of Stirling.
Louise stepped on stage to rally the crowd cheered on by her husband Robin, 46, and older children, Rebekah,20, and Jakob, 15. Louise who also lost her mum, Shona McGrouther aged just 50 to bowel cancer on April 11 2006 said the whole family were united by a determination to beat cancer sooner.
- Sunday May 21: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life 10K and Race for Life Family 5K, Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Louise, 39, of Dollar said: “It feels great to be chosen as VIP today and I’m really proud to be at Race for Life in memory of my mum.
“Mum always supported Race for Life and would have felt so proud to be here today. I miss my mum every single day and I still have all the Race for Life medals she earned by taking part in this event. I’m glad of the chance to spread some positivity by taking part in Race for Life.
“I want to show that there is a way back after cancer. Nearly three years after diagnosis, I’m well, have a wonderful family and a good life. I’ve come a long way since that day when I felt my whole world had fallen apart after I was diagnosed. Anxiety took over at first and I worried that I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up. But I got through it. People used to say I was strong but I don’t think I was strong.
“I just got out of bed every day and kept going.”
For the first time, men also took part in Race for Life. Stirling was chosen to host the first of just 10 of the new Race for Life Family 5K events. While the traditional women only 5K in Stirling started around 11am, men, women and children took part together in the Race for Life Family 5K which set off at noon. Every day, 88 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland.* The money raised at Race for Life Stirling will help Cancer Research UK scientists find new ways to treat cancers and save more lives.
Aroun 60 members of the Stirling and Glenrothes Rock Choir helped get the day off to a fabulous start by performing for the crowds. Ethan Gillies, an eight-year-old pupil from Newton Primary School in Dunblane was first home, completing the 5K in 19 minutes.Cheered on by his dad Scott, Ethan took part with his mum Suzanne, 37, and sister, Elita. The family took part in memory of Ethan’s grandma, Carol Curtis who died from cancer. Around 80 pupils from Stirling High School led by PE teacher, Jennifer Abernethy took part while Jennifer’s daughter, Eilidh Abernethy who is a PE teacher at Alva Academy also fielded a team of 30 pupils.
It’s been a tough few years for Louise who is now clear of cancer after being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer on July 26 2014. She had attended a hospital appointment after discovering a lump in her right breast. Hours later, hopes it was a harmless cyst faded as what had started as a short appointment at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert stretched in to the afternoon with a barrage of tests. Telling her children was heartbreaking.
Louise said: “There were tears but I aimed to be as open and honest as possible with my older two children.
“Alfie was only five so I tried to protect him a little bit more. Children are very aware of what’s going on and he picked up a lot more than I thought he had. Actually it was my children who made me smile and kept me going through treatment.”
Louise endured six chemotherapy sessions. She caught scarlet fever after the first session and spent a week in hospital battling the infection. On January 26 2015, a mastectomy at Canniesburn hospital in Glasgow to remove the tumour felt like a turning point. She also had reconstruction surgery where muscle from her back was used.
Louise said: “When I came out of the anaesthetic I was smiling from ear to ear.
“I just said to my husband, ‘it’s gone now. The cancer has gone.’ He later said it was like a light had switched back on in my eyes and the determination was there to fight.”
Louise’s treatment was completed with 15 radiotherapy sessions at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow. Now Louise who is clear of cancer has a check up every year and is looking forward to celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary next summer.
Louise said: “My husband took six months off work when I was unwell.
“He’s been my rock through it all and my best friend. We used to call him Mr Dettol. He was determined that I wouldn’t get another infection so would go around the house disinfecting absolutely everything he saw. He’s been amazing and so have all my family. I’m so proud of them.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and marathon events which raises millions of pounds every year to help fund life-saving research. Last year, around 37,612 people took part in Race for Life in Scotland and raised almost £2.5 million. This year, organisers are appealing for even more people to stride out to beat cancer sooner with Race for Life events across the country, everywhere from Glasgow to Aberdeen, Inverness to Irvine.
Every day, 88 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland.* The money raised at Race for Life Stirling will help Cancer Research UK scientists find new ways to treat cancers and save more lives. Organisers are now urging women to return their sponsorship money to help pioneering research.
Race for Life event manager for Stirling, Frances Kippax-Geary, said: “The support people across Stirlingshire have shown is absolutely tremendous and we are thrilled so many women took part in Race for Life.
“We want to say a heart-felt thanks to everyone who took part or supported our participants, as well as the wonderful volunteers who helped to make it happen. Sadly, most of us know someone whose life has been touched by cancer. But thanks to the huge progress that has been made in the fight against the disease, more people in Scotland are surviving cancer than ever before.
“Our aim is that one day everyone will beat cancer. The more research we can fund, the sooner that day will come. Now the big day is over, we are asking our supporters to take one last step-by returning the money they have raised so that we can go on funding much needed research.”
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Survival rates have doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
Sunday May 21: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life 10K and Race for Life Family 5K, Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Race for Life events in Scotland 2017
- Snday May 14: Race for Life 5K and Race for Life Family 5K, Gannochy Sports Centre, University of Stirling and Race for Life 5K and 10K, Hopetoun House, South Queensferry.
- Sunday May 21: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life 10K and Race for Life Family 5K, Glasgow Green, Glasgow and Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K, and Race for Life 10K, Bught Park, Inverness.
- Sunday June 4: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K and Race for Life 10K, Beach Park, Irvine.
- Sunday June 11: : Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K, and Race for Life 10K, Kings Links, Aberdeen.
- Saturday June 17: Race for Life 5K Pretty Muddy, Camperdown Park, Dundee.
- Sunday June 18: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K and Race for Life 10K, Camperdown Park, Dundee. Race for Life 5K and Race for Life Family 5K, Callendar Park, Falkirk.
- Saturday June 24: Pretty Muddy Fife, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy.
- Sunday June 25: Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K and Race for Life 10K, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh and Race for Life 5K, Race for Life Family 5K and Race for Life 10K, Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy.
- Saturday September 16: Pretty Muddy 5K, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. Pretty Muddy 10K, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh.