On 14 March, Nicola will be lacing up her walking boots, alongside her niece Lauren and three close friends Bev, Helen and Richard, to take on the Leeds Hospitals Charity Memorial Walk, a 10 mile challenge in memory of her sister Marella, who sadly died three years ago aged 64.

Marella was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2021 that had spread to her brain. Despite the devastating diagnosis, she remained full of humour, energy, and love for life. She was a devoted mum and grandmother, and the centre of a close-knit family.

During her treatment at Leeds Cancer Centre, Marella received gamma knife brain surgery and nearly two years of immunotherapy. Nicola remembers the care Marella received:

“She was so well looked after by Dr Alison Young, her team, the oncologists, and everyone on the Day Ward. They literally threw everything at her. My sister was treated like a queen. Even though she was stage four, they did absolutely everything they could. Because of them, we got almost two extra years with her—and those years meant everything.”

Although Marella died suddenly after contracting COVID while immunosuppressed, Nicola and her family chose to focus on the memories they were able to make together.

And there were a lot of memories. Marella affectionately named those two precious years her “Live Forever Tour”, even creating her own tour merch, pens and social media posts marking each new adventure. Together, the family visited Harry Potter World, spent days out together, fulfilled Marella’s dream of seeing the lions at Longleat, and even squeezed in a holiday to Scotland just five weeks before she died.

Nicola was able to attend almost every Consultant appointment with Marella during her treatment, something she feels incredibly grateful for. Now, Nicola is walking to give back.

“We’re just so grateful for the care Marella received. Taking part in the memorial walk is our way of saying thank you. We know there’ll be lots of laughs along the way, maybe a few tears, but mostly smiles as we remember her. And we’ll absolutely be raising a glass of wine to Marella when we finish!”

Nicola hopes others will join her and her family in honouring loved ones and supporting the hospital teams who make such a difference to families like hers.

Sign up to take part this March