A man from Orpington is set to run the London Marathon this year after his niece was diagnosed with two brain tumours.
Mitchell Miller, 26, has been inspired to run the London Marathon that will take place on April, 23 this year to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
His niece Layla Miller, 9, was diagnosed with two low-grade pilocytic astrocytomas after a routine optician’s appointment revealed she had a raised optic nerve in 2021.
Layla had been suffering with a headache that her doctor had attributed to her family history of migraines and she was later found to be experiencing seizures.
Following the diagnosis, Layla underwent 12-hour craniotomy surgery to remove the tumours and is now being monitored with regular six-month scans.
Mitchell said: “It was a shock to everyone at first and post-op was really hard because her personality changed slightly, which we were warned could happen.
“Thankfully, now she’s doing much better.”
Inspired by all that she endured, the repair engineer is taking part in the 26.2 mile race later this year.
Mitchell said: “I’d always wanted to run the marathon but I didn’t have a good reason to until Layla.
“Then I watched it and, after everything that had happened, thought how I’d love to do it for her and for the charity, which needs more money to invest in finding a cure.”
“I’ve been running more over the last month and will soon be starting my 16-week training plan.
“I’m running up to five times a week now and my legs are getting used to it so it’s getting a bit easier, but I know it’s going to get harder once I start adding more miles.”
Mitchell hopes to finish the marathon in four and a half hours, although despite being athletic already, he admitted that it may still be a challenge after sustaining a knee injury in the past.
Mitchell added: “I like to think I’m quite fit because I play football and run every now and again but I’ve never run a marathon or even a half-marathon so this will be a challenge.
“It’s a concern because it’s not been the same since but running on it’s never been a problem, it’s more the turning whilst playing football, so I’m hoping it’ll be fine for this.
“Layla’s just one of many people going through this so I’ll be running, not just for her, but for everyone affected by a brain tumour, and for their families because it’s hard on them too.”
He plans to hold fundraisers to meet his fundraising target of £3,000 for Brain Cancer Research and has currently raised £925 of his target.
National events manager for Brain Tumour Research, Carol Robertson, said: “It’s great to hear how well Layla is doing.
“Sadly, with one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, her story is not unique.
“Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia and any other cancer yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
“This has to change.
“We’re really grateful to Mitchell for taking on this huge challenge for us and look forward to cheering him across the finish line on the day.”
You can donate to Mitchell’s fundraiser https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mitchell-miller96
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