A St Albans resident is preparing to run a marathon in memory of her much-loved grandmother who passed away from brain cancer.
Teagan Ettienne Carr, 23, will be taking part in the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 21, in aid of the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Her grandmother ‘nanny’ Vanessa, a former teacher at Bowmansgreen Primary School, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in October 2020. Despite undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and three types of chemotherapy, Vanessa passed away in February 2022, aged just 65.
Teagan, a HR assistant, said: “Nanny and I were very close. She was like a second mum to me and we were the best of friends. She was the loveliest, kindest person and so adventurous, creative, fun and intelligent.
“The treatment stopped her tumour growing for a while but a scan in August 2021 showed disease progression and she went downhill after that. It was like watching her suffer from cancer and dementia at the same time. It was traumatising.”
Tegan admits she is not a natural runner but was inspired by Vanessa’s determination to complete the Brain Tumour Research Walk of Hope in September 2021.
Tegan said: “I watched people run the marathon two months after Nanny died and thought it would be a lovely thing to do. I figured if she could do the Walk of Hope whilst she was dying, I should be able to run a marathon for her.
“I’m nervous as I hate running so completing a marathon is a scary prospect but I’m excited about doing it for Nanny. The day she died, I said I’d do everything I could to make her proud and this is my way of living up to that.”
To support Teagan’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/TeaganCarr
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