Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in September last year, less than a month after I turned twenty-two. It has made me think about what I will leave behind – and what good I will send ahead.

When my health is at its worst my universe shrinks, so I am always grateful when it expands again and I can take an interest in others. Shortly after my diagnosis my dad suggested I walk to raise money for charity. After three rounds of chemo and several months off treatment, my health is worsening and I will soon need more treatment. It feels like the right moment for this long-planned walk!

I love walking, although my experience of it has changed. An oxygen device sometimes helps me to walk further than I otherwise could. I have a very stylish walking stick (named Gerald) who occasionally gets outings. I remember surprising my doctor with my first independent walk down a hospital corridor.

I always found it difficult choosing between charities so am planning three walks in places of special significance for three dear causes (watch this space!).

I grew up as a bookworm. It seemed that with a hefty enough book in my hands the answer to any question, the solution to any problem, might be found.

I thoroughly enjoyed my school years. I had brilliant teachers who made their subjects come alive. I worked hard, considering it as worship with the intention to use my qualifications to do some good in the world.

After my diagnosis, my immediate plans of working dissolved. I struggled during my enforced sabbatical, so long defined by what I was doing that my simply being felt inadequate. The questions that now preoccupied me were the larger ones – of why we are here and where we are going, questions on the periphery of most schools. Yet this is precisely what the Maryam Academy seeks to provide – an all-round education that includes the study of Islam and Arabic.

My prognosis was bleak and as I searched for a way out I was confronted by the limits of our knowledge; there was no knowing in advance whether a treatment would work, or which side-effects I might get – there was data, but each individual is different. Sometimes we shoot at cancer cells in partial darkness, praying for light.

Yet I take heart from the fact that these boundaries are constantly being pushed back. Diseases that were once incurable are now manageable. "There is no disease that God has created, except that He has also created its treatment." These words of the blessed Prophet Muhammad give me hope. Whether or not a treatment for my cancer will be found in my life-time, I am deeply indebted to those who dedicate their lives to such research.

It is my hope that graduates of Maryam Academy will one day join their ranks.

Now for the small-print…

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.