Devoted Fareham son raises £4,000 running the London Marathon after ‘brave’ mum's cancer battle

Andy Green, from Fareham, ran the London Marathon for his mum Celia Green, 72, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2019.

The run was tough but Andy, 50, was propelled by the support by his family – and by thinking about his mum.

He said: ‘It was tough, emotionally and physically, but the atmosphere was phenomenal and to have my wife, son, daughter, her boyfriend, my brother and, most of all my dad, at the roadside supporting me was what got me through.

‘It’s not just a run, when it’s hurting and you have to really dig deep, you call on that support that people have given you to keep you going.’

Andy’s mum Celia was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on March 15, 2019, and died at home surrounded by her family just one month later on April 27 following her ‘brave and dignified’ battle.

Andy was ‘inspired’ by his mum’s dignity and acceptance of her condition and felt compelled to do something to honour her memory.

He said: ‘The London Marathon is a race that has always been on my bucket list.

‘One evening when I was sat with mum alone in her final few days, she was asleep, and I just started penning an application to Pancreatic Cancer UK’

‘I wrote a heartfelt application to run for them, because it was touching me right there and then in that moment.’

The 2020 London Marathon was originally scheduled to be held April 26, but was postponed until this month due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andy ran the virtual marathon and has surpassed his goal of £2,500 in no time through various fundraising efforts.

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Family members including Andy’s dad, brother and wife, all did their bit to help out and make donations to raffles run by Andy in an effort to raise more funds for the charity.

Andy, who works for Hampshire police, completed the marathon in four hours, 39 minutes and one second, raising a total of £4,000 for the charity.

‘For me it was never about getting round in a certain time, it was about doing it in my mum’s honour and enjoying it’, Andy said.

Laura Sutton, head of mass fundraising for the charity, said: ‘Our huge thanks to Andy for his magnificent efforts in completing the London Marathon in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK.

‘Every penny raised will bring us closer to more effective early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and deliver the better treatments people have needed for so long.’

To donate to Andy’s cause visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewGreen4

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