“I genuinely don’t think I’d be here today if it wasn’t for all the research and trials.”
Laura James was 18 years old when she was diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg. Just two years after she had lost her mother to cancer.
The next two years saw her in and out of the hospital receiving rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by surgery to remove part of the bone and a nerve in her leg. Leaving Laura with a permanent foot drop, meaning her foot can push down, but it can’t pull back up, so she runs with less stability, especially on uneven ground.
Laura’s sister, Naomi, who has run the marathon before, enters her in the ballot every year. Despite over 800K people applying to take part in 2026, it was finally her year. After securing her place, she approached the Bone Cancer Research Trust - a charity dedicated to fighting primary bone cancer - to join their fundraising team.
“Anything I can do to give back means the absolute world,” says Laura. “And then there’s the added benefit of raising awareness to those who don’t know much about it. And maybe one day we’ll find a cure. All of us hope for that.”
She’s already close to hitting her £2,000 target through word of mouth and social media alone, with two fundraising events still to come.
As a project manager, organising events comes naturally, and she’s hoping to “well overachieve” her goal.
She has a raffle with donated prizes from local businesses lined up, and she has also organised a bingo night in her local community hall.
Fundraising isn’t the only challenge Laura has taken on. She wasn’t a runner when her ballot place came through, so she downloaded Couch to 5K last year and began building her miles.
“I knew I’d struggle, but I wanted to go into this knowing I’d given it my all,” says Laura. “It is tough and it takes over your personality, but finishing a run feels incredible. And I know what it’s all building towards.”
The other week she ran her first half marathon, something she never imagined possible.
“I look back at myself in July and I’m a completely different person,” she says. “I appreciate the journey I’ve been on even more and it has shown me I can do it. I’m not limited by my foot drop or my treatment. They don’t define me, who I am now defines me.”
Laura has been a spectator at the TCS London Marathon before, so she can’t wait to experience the crowds from the other side and to meet other runners on the route.
“I’m an emotional person, I cry at TikToks, so I know the atmosphere will get me. I can’t wait to talk to people along the way and hear their stories.”
And she has a strong suspicion this won’t be her last challenge.
“This has sparked something in me. I don’t know what the next goal will be, but I know there’ll be one.”
