Clapham Junction runner living under shadow of cancer raises money for Macmillan with marathon

Our dads can seem like gods when we are young.

But Amy Stone’s father, Kevin, has proved fleet of foot, as well as a big shoulder to lean on.

He ran with her during her training for the London Marathon and accompanied her for the last 10 miles.

Amy, 31, has already raised £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, which also helped her after she discovered she had a potentially fatal cancer gene, BRCA1, which makes her more susceptible to breast cancer.

Four other female members of her family have also been struck by the disease, and her grandmother died aged just 58.

So she’s run a London Marathon, from her home in Bennerley Road, Clapham Junction, for Macmillan Cancer Support, which has helped them all throughout the challenges of their conditions.

She said: “My dad, who was my biggest supporter, came on my long runs to keep me company and keep me going.

“He even ran the last 10 miles on the day – I would have never been able to do it without him.”

When generations of her family were identified as having a higher risk of cancer – including herself – Amy decided nothing was going to stop her from running the London Marathon. Even when it was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid.

Women with the faulty BRCA1 gene have a 60 to 90 per cent lifetime risk of breast cancer, and a 40 to 60 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.

Amy’s mum, as well as several of her aunts and cousins, were identified as having the BRCA1 gene, too, some of whom have also been diagnosed with breast cancer, ovarian cancer or undergone radical, risk-reducing surgery. Amy said the loss of her grandmother, and the impact of cancer upon generations of female family members, motivated her. “In the photo you will see the wonderful women in my family: three sisters and their daughters,” she said.

“What you don’t see in this photo is the two bouts of triple negative breast cancer, four double mastectomies, three ovarian removals and a mum who lost her fight with ovarian cancer at 58 “After my Auntie Katie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she decided to take a genetic test to see if she carried the BRCA1 gene. Over the next two years we all started to get tested. Five out of six of us in this photo are carrying the mutated BRCA1 gene, including me.

“When I found out I had the gene, the prospect of the decisions I’d have to make in my future were quite shattering for me. But I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, so that’s when I started running and where Macmillan come in.

“Over the last few years, the nurses at Macmillan have been incredible – they’ve helped my aunt through her fight and me with the information I need for my future. Knowing I have the gene means I will have to make lifechanging decisions, but without the work of Macmillan we may not have had that chance.

“Running has been a real release for me and I was due to run the London Marathon back in 2020. But due to the pandemic, it was cancelled last August. But I wasn’t prepared to give up – I had worked so hard and this race was never purely about running for me. It was about an amazing charity that has done so much for my family. And for the brave women who have climbed mountains and my nan who lost her life too young.

“My journey isn’t over. I’ll finally get to run the London Marathon in 2022 once again for Macmillan.”

You can still donate to Amy’s fundraising page. Visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmyStone5/1 for more details, To donate to #Team- Macmillan visit londonmarathon.macmillan.org.uk.