Zoe Harcourt turned 50 last year and is taking part in her first marathon in May – in memory of her sister-in-law, Tanya. Here she explains why she will be fundraising to support the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital at the Norfolk and Norwich
Tanya Harcourt would’ve turned 50 on June 7 of this year. She sadly died at the age of 20 in 1993, after living with the challenges of Cystic Fibrosis. On May 2, her sister-in-law Zoe Harcourt will line up with hundreds of others for the start of her first marathon, in Milton Keynes. As well as running in memory of Tanya, Zoe will also be raising money for the N&N Hospitals Charity to support children being treated for CF at the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital.
Zoe says: ‘This will be my first marathon. I recently completed a half marathon which was my first ever competitive race. I turned 50 last year and I was able to celebrate but I wanted to do something in Tanya’s memory for what would have been her 50th birthday on June 7 this year.’ Zoe’s daughter Jade, who now works at the N&N, was just a baby when Tanya died, and her son Liam never met his aunt.
Zoe says: ‘Tanya was a happy, bubbly, and popular young girl. She lived life to the full even while spending a lot of her life in and out of hospital.
‘She was an amazing auntie to Jade which was unfortunately cut very short as she passed away when Jade was only three months old.
‘She fought long and hard battling this disease but, unfortunately, she lost, leaving a big hole in the hearts of her family and friends. Tanya’s mum, dad and brother are blown away by the support and donations that have been made in her memory.’
Catharine Moates, Lead Children’s CF/Respiratory Nurse Specialist, adds: ‘We are so grateful to Zoe for choosing to support our department here at the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital in this wonderful tribute to Tanya on what would have been her 50th year. Thank you to everyone who has donated to support our young patients and we wish Zoe all the best for her marathon challenge.’
If you would like to support Zoe, visit her fundraising page here. To find out more about the N&N Hospitals Charity please visit www.nnhospitalscharity.org.uk
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