Abi’s story

Hi,  I’m Abi and I’m 27. My mum passed away very suddenly from cardiac arrest on my 24th birthday.  In May I will be running the Hackney Half Marathon for Its Time. 

I was away from home at a music festival when I received the call. It felt like the whole world had shattered beneath my feet without warning. In the weeks that followed I tried to deal with my grief “productively”. I was reading books, planning the funeral and organising the family home. I was under taking every task to avoid the reality of what was really happening. 

As the eldest daughter, I really struggle with allowing myself to grieve my mum, there are a lot of societal expectations that I will now take care of the family and it can feel very isolating. I can’t help but feel that life has been so unfair to my mum for ending her story so suddenly, especially during a time when she was finally taking time for herself and living life to the full.

I am grieving a life I thought I’d have with her. I am already sad for a future that might have marriage, a job promotion, children, anniversaries, and she won’t be there to see any of it.

I am running to raise money for It’s Time to ensure no young person who’s lost a parent is ever grieving without knowing there is support available for them. 3 years on I am grateful to have found a community of people who are my age and grieving a similar loss, I think it’s so important to find a space to find support and talk about your loved one to keep their memory alive.