Belton woman who lost her mum to cancer takes on the iconic MoonWalk night-time marathon.

Thousands of women and men wearing decorated bras and brightly coloured bra t-shirts will gather in London this May to walk a Half Moon (15.1 miles) or Full Moon (26.2 miles) to raise money and awareness for breast and other cancers. Among them will be Frankie Turnbull from Belton, near Doncaster.

Frankie (21) said: “Mum was a single parent to me and my younger sister, when she was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer which affects the “smooth” muscles in the hollow organs of the body, including the intestines, stomach, bladder and blood vessels.

"I was 17 years old and more or less became “Mum” for a while, to not only my own mother, but to my Nan (who had dementia) and my younger sister Indiana. Sometimes, I had to stay up all night with Mum because she was so poorly.

"Mum had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but they didn’t work unfortunately. We were told that she had maybe five years to live at best, but sadly she only lived for around 18 months. My Nan passed away in November 2021, just four months before Mum, on 10th February 2022. I’d just turned 19 and Mum was only 40, which is no age at all.

"I had to plan and pay for Mum’s funeral on my own. Planning the funeral was very hard, but when it’s your own mum, you just do it! The way I look at it, Mum cared for me when I was younger, and I was caring for her in return. It was a very emotional moment, when I helped carry my mum’s coffin into the church, alongside my sister, Indiana.

"I was obviously incredibly sad after Mum died, but I didn’t want to live the rest of my life feeling sad and bitter. A fabulous friend – Sally Young, a former work colleague – asked me if I’d like to join her to take on the Virtual MoonWalk London (also organised by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk), just three months after Mum died. Doing all the training to walk 26.2 miles helped occupy my mind a little and was a real focus.

"I’m very excited to be taking part in The MoonWalk London again this year, but this time in person! I’ll be joined by Sally Young, Susan Bampfylde and Angela Penaluna. I’m really looking forward to coming to the capital – I’m expecting the night to be incredibly empowering with a fantastic atmosphere. I’ll be looking around, knowing that for so many people taking part, breast cancer or other cancers will have had an impact on them in some way. I want to raise as much money as possible for the cause

"I’d encourage people to not let what has happened to them during their life make them angry – or change their outlook. I always think that there are other people much worse off than me. I’m still only 21 years old, but feel lucky and happy to be here – I can still do wonderful things with my life, like taking part in The MoonWalk.

"Mum always told us “be kind and caring” and now that she’s gone, I just want to do something kind and be like her. I want to continue making an impact in her memory”.

To sign up for The MoonWalk London 2024 on Saturday 18th May, go to www.walkthewalk.org