Wish parent Susan takes on the London Landmarks Half Marathon

After twin daughters Chloe and Lucy, ages nine, were granted their wishes last year, mum Susan has decided to take on the London Landmarks Half Marathon, raising money for Make-A-Wish. As Susan told us, “Their wishes made them feel like they’re the same as every other kid. We were so appreciative of the wish - I needed to do something to give back.”

Chloe and Lucy both live with complex heart conditions. After spending much of their lives in and out of hospital, a wish would serve as a needed break from a world centred around their conditions.

In July of last year, Chloe had her wish to go to Center Parcs. Following this in September was Lucy’s wish to go to LEGOLAND.

“They knew they were getting a wish for their heart issue - but the wish made them feel like anyone else. They have friends who have travelled and gone to LEGOLAND and Center Parcs. Now they've been able to do these things as well!”

Susan’s experience with her daughter’s wishes led to a deep understanding of the importance of a wish. This inspired her to sign up for the London Landmarks Half Marathon, an idea that stemmed from the running club she coaches: “I coach a running club that’s coming up to its third anniversary. I got a group of non-runners together who are between the ages of 40 to 60. It was something that could benefit our mental health and that brought a sense of community. It started with 5ks, then moved to park runs, and then 10ks! We went for a 10k one day, and then some of them said ‘We can push ourselves to do a half marathon!’”

As fate would have it, on the very same week that the group discussed running a half marathon, Susan spotted a post by Make-A-Wish that called people to sign up for the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Susan knew she had to sign up:

“It was great timing! We were looking for something and it worked perfectly. We're all training together! I have done three or four half marathons before, but it's the first that requires to take a plane. So this is a bit more of an adventure!”

Ahead of the half marathon, Susan is smashing her fundraising goals, tapping into different communities and groups to gather funds: “I teach pilates so I asked people to donate instead of charging them. Now I'm only 20 pounds away! I teach three classes with different groups of people, so closer to the time I'll do it with another of the classes to raise more. It's great to have different people in the classes that I teach to raise money from.”

When we asked Mum why she thinks people should support Make-A-Wish, she said:

With fundraising and training going brilliantly, Susan is elated to be able to give back to the charity that gave her daughters so much joy after experiencing childhoods eclipsed by their conditions.