Castletown cancer sufferer ready to face up to 10k for Wick Macmillan nurses
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A cancer sufferer from Castletown is aiming to complete a 10k run just months after having a mastectomy – to thank nurses in Wick for her care.
Lois Gray is determined to complete the River Ness 10k, which takes place in Inverness on October 1, to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support nurses in Wick.
In May, Lois was diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer and just a month later had a mastectomy.
But she says she is motivated to complete the 10k challenge as she was so well cared for by the charity's nurses after she was discharged from hospital.
Lois knows that the distance is a huge undertaking as she is still recovering and suffers from side effects since her operation, making training tough.
She had planned to run the River Ness 10k before her diagnosis, and now wants to cross the finish line, whatever pace she needs to go.
“I have done 10Ks in the past but quite a few years ago now," Lois said. "I have done the Nairn 10k twice but that was maybe five or six years ago now.
"I was just starting to train for this 10k in May because we are actually going on a cycling holiday at Christmas time, and I thought this might be a way of getting my fitness up.
"It gives you something to aim for. It is way further than I would normally go for – 5K would be my limit really but I just thought I am going to need to be a bit fitter for this holiday as it is going to be all young people then me and my husband!
"So I put myself down for the 10k, and thought I will try and train for it but if not I will just do it really slowly.
“But then in May I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which came completely out of the blue. It is my second time having it but it was a shock to both me and my surgeon because he was so sure that it was just a little cyst I had.
"I went to the GP to get some cream but they sent me to Raigmore just because of my history. So when the biopsy came back, my surgeon was quite shocked.”
After having a mastectomy just a month later, Lois had thought her chances of completing the 10k challenge would have gone.
She said: “I thought that I would have to cancel my entry into the River Ness 10k and I kind of resigned myself to that, but I have found that I have recovered quite well."
Despite suffering nerve damage and ongoing pain in her arm, Lois said the exercise has been positive for her mind.
“The running has really helped my mental health, it has really made a big difference because when it first happened I was so devastated because I had been so fit," she said.
“Running isn’t as bad because it is my arm, it is not really affecting my legs and my ability to run. I am a lot slower than I was before and I am not up to the distance that I should be at this stage of training, so I am going to find it really challenging.
“But I thought, I am going to manage this, even if I have to walk some of it.
"I will push myself to manage it and it will be a great cause to raise money for because they were so helpful.”
