Mum takes part in charity run (From Watford Observer)

Berenice Drury takes part in Nike’s Run to the Beat

3:10pm Monday 29th October 2012 in News By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

A Watford mother has run a half marathon in order to raise money for a disease which affected three members of her family.

Berenice Drury lost her mum to leukaemia 20 years ago, and then both her sister and niece were diagnosed with the disease, a form of blood cancer.

On Sunday she laced up her trainers to take part in Nike’s Run to the Beat in London, to raise money for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity.

In December last year Ms Drury’s sister Trish was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia and required a stem cell transplant to save her life.

Ms Drury said: "She has never moaned or felt sorry for herself during this time and despite the pain she must have been going through, she has always still been there for me and my girls.

"The least I can do is run for a couple of hours to help raise funds so no other family feels the way we have all felt."

The mum of four has already broken her fundraising target of £250 by collecting £750 for the charity, which she credits with saving her niece Ava’s life.

Ava was diagnosed with Leukaemia three years ago when she was just four years old, but after intensive treatment she is now in remission.