MoonWalk: Yorkshire woman to walk night-time marathon for tenth time in memory of daughter who died from breast cancer

A woman who spends much of her spare time walking, she was drawn to breast cancer charity Walk The Walk’s MoonWalk event, a night-time full or half marathon through the streets of Edinburgh.

"For some time, I had donated money on a regular basis to a cancer charity,” says Denise.

“But I felt I was ready to do something more tangible, something which was a real challenge and which raised funds and awareness directly related to breast cancer.”

Denise’s much-loved daughter was 26 when she was first diagnosed with the disease in 2004.

Two years later, her family were devastated when she passed away after it spread to her bones, lungs, liver and brain.

Sarah had found a lump in her breast whilst on holiday in Australia. “She was 26 and had been in the prime of her life,” recalls Denise, who lives in Cherry Burton, East Yorkshire.

"She’d taken a gap year to do voluntary work in Pakistan, had completed university, met her future partner, and was beginning to make her way in the world of HR.”

After her diagnosis, Sarah underwent treatment in the form of a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Alongside it came side effects – including losing her hair.

“For a young woman of 26, this was particularly difficult,” Denise says, “and she felt that it immediately labelled her as ‘having cancer’.”

For a time, Sarah’s condition seemed to be improving and she even returned to work.

But it wasn’t long before she became unwell and a visit to her consultant brought the devastating news that the cancer had spread to her bones, lungs and liver. Her prognosis was poor.

Facing an uncertain future, Sarah and her partner decided to marry before buying an old camper van and enjoying the freedom of touring.

But in September 2006, Sarah was told the tumours had spread to her brain. She had further treatment but showed no signs of recovery and died surrounded by her family at the cottage she called home in Somerset.

“There is a time when you put your head in the sand and although you know things aren’t going well, you don’t want to think about someone dying, particularly someone so close to you,” Denise reflects.

"Although deep down, I think we knew it might be terminal eventually, we wouldn’t admit it to ourselves probably until about three weeks before she died. There was always that hope about recovery.”

Since her first MoonWalk event, Denise has taken part in another eight in Scotland, one in Iceland and one in London, joined one year by her other daughter Kathryn.

Now 76, she is preparing to take on her tenth MoonWalk Scotland on Saturday, September 9.

With thousands of other women and men wearing brightly-decorated bras, she will walk 26.2 miles through the streets of Edinburgh. “I usually just walk on my own but there’s so much camaraderie among everybody else that’s doing it, you’re not really on your own.

“I have to say I don’t enjoy the last five miles because everybody is getting really tired by then. But once you get to the end, it’s so emotional.

“Breast cancer is an awful disease, it hits so many people and their families. The thought that you’re doing something about it to put some money into research and support keeps me going.”

“I keep on saying that I’m going to stop walking, but here I am...I just can’t keep away [from] an opportunity to keep my daughter’s memory alive and raise funds for research.”

Walk the Walk is a grant making charity, which awards funds to other charities and organisations throughout the UK.

It has three key aims - to grant funds for research, particularly secondary breast cancer; to help provide emotional and physical support for those living with cancer; and prevention work around lifestyle and being active.