It is 30 years since Helen Chapman was driven into by a drunk and drugged driver. Here, the Fundraiser for Marie Curie in Norfolk and Suffolk explains the challenges she has had to overcome and why she is taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon come April
I’m Helen Chapman the Marie Curie Fundraiser for Norfolk & Suffolk and I’m proud to work for the UK’s largest terminal illness charity, Marie Curie. We provide hospice care at home for patients who are terminally ill, alongside our other supporter services which includes a support line, bereavement service and we fund palliative care research and campaign to improve the lives of people living with all kinds of terminal illnesses. My role is to raise funds in both counties to fund all of these services which I do with the help of 70 amazing volunteers and hundreds of supporters, of which the charity is grateful to have.
Marie Curie has nationally campaigned to help every terminally ill person in the UK who has 12 months or fewer to live to get fast-track access to the benefits that they need. We are thrilled to be the 2026 national charity partner of the TCS London Marathon and locally we have been busy with our annual daffodil appeal and plenty of other fundraising!
Last year one of our London Marathon runners inspired me to want to take on a challenge as within in a few miles of beginning the marathon she became unwell but she still finished the run despite feeling terrible and I was so impressed with her efforts it made me want to do something myself.
It’s also a milestone year for me as it is 30 years since I was driven into by a drunk and drugged driver who died at the scene, which left me with a broken back, hip socket, pelvis, hand, wrist, fingers and a blow to the head. Those 30 years have been filled with operations, anger, upset and determination. I know in future years I’ll be requiring more surgery as the injuries I sustained mean my spine and hips are already deteriorating with arthritis, fraying, and narrowing. I discovered this following my first MRI scan in ten years after having some new hip issues in 2025.
Knowing things will decline I decided to sign up to the London Landmarks Half Marathon for Marie Curie whilst I can and achieve something that, 30 years ago, I’d have never thought possible as I had to learn to walk again. I want to prove to myself that I can take on a challenge like this and do something I ask everyone else to do – raise funds! It’s also great to be training at the same time as the 13 London Marathon runners from my area. I have clearance from my consultants to take on this challenge and although it’s not a huge distance, when you’ve had all these injuries, it means it will be substantially harder than if I’d never been injured.
My message to anyone who has had or is currently facing life changing injuries is to never give up. At the time I was driven into, I was a county and national level athlete and sadly the accident meant I could no longer do what I loved due to the injuries to my hand. Life will get better and it will get worse again at times and the mental side of this rollercoaster is something you learn to live with but ultimately, I have my life, I can do most things, so I have to make the most of living. I have to pre plan everything to ensure I don’t get run down and I make the most of the periods of time when the injuries don’t interfere with my life. To be able to take on this challenge and run for a cause I see make a difference to patients on a daily basis will be brilliant and I can’t wait to get to London! If anyone reading this would like to help Marie Curie, then please do email me via: helen.chapman@mariecurie.org.uk.
Helen Chapman is taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon on April 12, 2026 and is fundraising for Marie Curie. Visit justgiving.com.
Featured image of Helen Chapman – supplied
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