#TeamAbbeydale run the Sheffield 10K
So with only 2 more relaxing Sundays until #TeamAbbeydale take part in the Jane Tomlinson Sheffield 10K I thought I’d share with you why we’re all taking part.
Since I was little Cavendish Cancer Care has always been the charity that I’d pick to fundraise for, having been introduced by a family friend who worked there. To the point of when a dear friend got a charity place in a marathon and asked who should I run it for? Before he’d even finished the sentence I’d said Cavendish. It will now always be a much bigger part of my life, as in 2015 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Now I’m back fighting fit I want to push the relationship Abbeydale Brewery has with them and give something back.
It is my belief that we need to raise two things to help a charity not only sustain itself, but to grow; money (of course) and awareness. Which brings us nicely on to the below; excerpts from an interview I gave as part of their “How We Help, Stories” feature. Which is going to be published in full on their website, I chose to get involved as I think it’s vital that people are more aware of it, I was lucky that I already was. You get so much information within those first few weeks, I hope that if someone reads my story it registers on different level in some way.
“Carly was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma aged 26; she came to the Cavendish for sessions of reflexology and healing between having treatment and working.
“I was diagnosed in April 2015, I’d found a lump on my collarbone so I had a few tests and they told me I’d get the results in two to three weeks. I’d convinced myself it couldn’t be anything serious, I’d had a cold so I thought it was just a swollen gland, and I thought if it was serious they wouldn’t leave it two weeks.”
“It didn’t feel real, it’s almost like it happened to me but it doesn’t feel like it happened to me, almost as if I was watching it.”
“It was a bit of a whirlwind, I’m normally one who likes to be prepared and organised but I didn’t google a single thing. I never read any information on chemo because I thought if it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t then it doesn’t need worrying about.
“I already knew of the Cavendish Cancer Care because one of the therapists, Janet, had been a family friend since I was eight years old. We’d been involved and fundraised for them before, so I came to the Cavendish pretty much straight away when my treatment started.
“I had around six months of chemotherapy followed by three weeks of radiotherapy. My sessions at Cavendish were all about me and keeping my body as healthy as possible through this process. You typically think of someone going through chemo as really sick and nauseous but I only got that towards the end of my treatment. The chemo would shake me up and make me feel a bit woozy but because I interspersed it with my sessions at Cavendish I could physically still do things and it helped keep my energy levels up.
“I’d say making the choice to come to Cavendish and continue working were the best things I ever did, they helped me get through it. Coming to Cavendish was so calming and relaxing; it was never an event or made a big deal of.”
“Sessions at Cavendish helped me clear my head; although I didn’t feel like I needed counselling I knew that it was available to me or my family and friends. I have a very open relationship with my family and friends and we all have a bit of a dark sense of humour, I sometimes think I was a bit too cavalier with some people in terms of humour and my attitude towards it but I got through it the way I got through it.”
“I don’t think people realise how valuable Cavendish is. I wasn’t picking between Cavendish and somewhere else to go for respite and rejuvenation, it’s invaluable because there’s nothing else like it.”
Back to the run, I actually found it quite painless to get colleagues to sign up and run with me, I mean I did only give them three options; 1) run it, 2) come down and cheer us on/volunteer or 3) donate!! I felt particularly bad when one of our owners, Sue, donated £100, saying well we’re on holiday so that’s options 1 and 2 out! Thank you again Sue, we’ll take lots of photos.
I had only been working at Abbeydale for a couple of months when I started floating the idea around and therefore didn’t know everyone particularly well/they didn’t know my history so it is true testament to their characters that within a couple of days we had a running team of 5. We’re now up to 10 runners, and training has been incredibly tough… We work in brewery for goodness sake, beer is all around us!
It is on that note that I make a donation plea, no matter the amount everything helps. To support 1500 families per year they need to raise £350,000. Whether you’re donating because of the charity or because you know us and like to see us suffer – we don’t care!! You can donate online via http://bit.ly/teamabbeydale or if you’re around on the day we’re most likely to be in The Devonshire Cat with a pint celebrating and would love to see you!
Carly
Carly Honeycombe
Events Manager // Communications
