A brave Suffolk mum who kept on running despite undergoing a mastectomy and gruelling treatment for cancer is to celebrate her birthday by donning her trainers and inviting other women to join her.
Bianca Pearl will be taking part in the Bury St Edmunds Race for Life on her 32nd birthday and is urging fellow female runners to sign up and help raise funds towards research to beat the disease.
Bianca, from Bury, underwent a mastectomy in September 2014 but, with her surgeon's blessing was back in her trainers and out running just six weeks later.
Throughout her treatment, Bianca ran to her hospital appointments, did a weekly Park Run and also ran a charity half-marathon with her mum and her husband, Owen.
Bianca said: "Running helped me stay positive and upbeat and gave me a bit of normality.
"I found it was my escape route. I would run to my hospital appointments. And I took part in the Park Run every week with my mum and dad, Michelle and Graham Gidney."
Bianca will be guest of honour at the 5k and 10k Race for Life event at Nowton Park, at 11am, on Sunday June 9.
She's encouraging women of all ages and abilities to follow her lead and sign up to a Race for Life 5k, 10k or Pretty Muddy event.
Waiting for her at the finish line will be her "miracle" baby, Arthur.
Despite Bianca and husband Owen being told the chances of conceiving naturally were low, Arthur was born just one year after she finished chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Bianca said: "Arthur is a blessing. We think of him as our miracle baby. Owen and I married on 18 May last year in Halkidiki in Greece, surrounded by friends and family - with Arthur as our page boy. It was the perfect wedding I've always dreamed of.
"Thanks to research, I'm now cancer free and will be around to share more precious moments with my family.
"I'm determined to help others by raising money so Cancer Research UK can ensure even more men, women and children survive.
"I'm urging women in Bury St Edmunds to come together and unite at Race for Life because every participant can help make a real difference."
Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring women-only series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy, Half Marathon and Hiking events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding crucial research.
Danielle Glavin, Cancer Research UK's Spokesperson for the East, said: "Crucial cancer research is being funded right now thanks to women, just like Bianca, running, jogging or walking at Race for Life.
"By following Bianca's lead, and signing up to Race for Life, women in Bury St Edmunds can make a real difference in the fight against cancer. Money raised will help Cancer Research UK scientists and doctors find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease, helping save more lives."
Cancer Research say one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but more people are now surviving the disease now than ever before.
Cancer Research UK's work relies on the public's support. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend over £54m million last year in the East on some of the UK's leading scientific and clinical research
To enter Race for Life today visit the Race for Life website or call 0300 123 0770.
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