Runner from Luton raises thousands for charity after completing London Marathon in memory of her late sister

A runner has said she hopes her late sister would be proud after she completed the London Marathon in her honour.

Gemma Nicholas, who grew up in Luton, raised over £3,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of her sister Tyler – who died from cancer on New Year’s Day in 2019. Tyler was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in February 2018 after a routine eye test found abnormalities.

Gemma said: “I can vividly remember receiving a telephone call from Tyler in the early hours of the morning where she told me she had been diagnosed with aggressive Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). I was in shock.

"She hadn’t been experiencing any symptoms which had distressed her, so she hadn’t mentioned anything to me. A routine eye test had found abnormalities and she had been referred to hospital because of that. She was only 22 and hadn’t even learnt how to drive or had the opportunity to travel. She was loving her career, our relationship was blossoming, and it seemed cruel timing.”

Tyler started her treatment in the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Gemma added: “She loved it there and got a lot of support from the staff and other young people. She enjoyed activities put on by the charity such as go-karting and pizza nights. The charity also helped her apply for grants as she wasn’t able to work.

“I wanted to do something in her memory, and I knew that Teenage Cancer Trust was a great support for Tyler and her family during her treatment. She spoke so positively about the unit and the charity, so I wanted to raise money for them so they could help other young people like Tyler."

Gemma had decided to run at the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, which was later cancelled.

She added: “My training had been going so well and the cancellation knocked my motivation. I didn't want to put all my training to waste, so I organised a virtual marathon due to Covid-19 restrictions, whereby I ran the distance of the marathon during the week. I shared my progress on social media and I ran the last half marathon on a treadmill and shared it live on Zoom, Facebook and Instagram for friends and family to cheer me on. The event enabled me to raise and surpass my fundraising goal of £2,000.”

After successfully completing the 2023 London Marathon, Gemma said: “The race went so well, better than I expected. I suffered a hamstring injury in my first week of training, in January 2023, which persisted throughout the training period. Due to the ups and downs to get to this point I was determined not to defer yet again or drop out. Lots of physiotherapy enabled me to continue to train, doing a maximum of three runs a week.

“I feel so proud to have achieved my goal in Tyler's memory, finishing in 5 hours 4 mins and raising over £3,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust. I hope Tyler is proud too.”