7:30pm Thursday 5th March 2009
By Claire Lomax
A young mum is battling back from the effects of treatment for cervical cancer to take on her first half-marathon to raise money for charity.
Liz Kenny, 28, will be joined by her husband Richard, 31, and friends Lindsey Saunder and Howard Moxon, when she takes on the Great North Run in September.
The couple, who live in Milligan Avenue, Wrose, with their four-year-old son Joshua, will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support while Howard and Lindsey are raising money for the special care baby unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary.
Liz, is taking part in the 13-mile run despite having been diagnosed with lymphoedema in her legs, a condition which can cause swelling and affect mobility.
It is a complication of the surgical treatment she received after being diagnosed with cervical cancer in May 2007. She had an operation called a radical trachelectomy, which saw surgeons remove most of her cervix to get rid of the cancer.
They also removed lymph nodes around her womb in case the cancer had spread, which can cause lymphoedema.
She is now cancer free and despite everything she has been through, regards her self as one of the lucky ones, especially as the country watches Big Brother star Jade Goody grow weaker by the day, after doctors failed to stop her cervical cancer spreading.
Jade Goody is recovering in London’s Royal Marsden Hospital following surgery on Monday to alleviate pain caused by her treatment for cervical cancer.
Liz said: “I know how it feels to think you may not see you children grow up and for me that is the most heartbreaking thing.
“She is trying to secure a better future for her children and, in doing so, I believe she has raised awareness of what a horrible disease cervical cancer can be. If only one woman goes for a check-up after reading her story and manages to get an early diagnosis then she has done a great thing.”
She added: “I think the new vaccine for cervical cancer is a wonderful thing and I would encourage any parent to allow their daughters to have this vaccine. Hopefully, it will mean we don’t have to see so much of this cancer in the future.”
To sponsor Liz online visit justgiving. com/elisabethkenny.
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