Berkhamsted cancer doctor who battled brain tumour to run London Marathon

An oncologist from Berkhamsted will run the London Marathon this year to raise vital funds for charity after she and her friend were both treated for brain tumours.

Carie Corner, who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in 2016, will take on the London Marathon in October with her husband, Tony and friends: Paul Merrington, Dom Traynor and Carolyn Bane.

While working at a cancer clinic in Stevenage, Carie became light-headed and her arm was numb, as fighting with a doctor to have an MRI, her tumour was found and her treatment soon began.

The mother-of-three is currently taking experimental drugs to stop her tumour from growing and is feeling ready to take on the challenge.

She said: “I feel really good, which is why I thought I'd have a go have a go the marathon which is a bit of an undertaking.”

Carie added: “I’ve got a lot of family members that are a bit worried about me doing it. But I've been quite sensible started running just a little bit in January, and then just built it up really.”

Carie’s friend, Helen Merrington was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and the marathon is a way for Carie to raise awareness and funds for research to stop more families from being affected by brain cancer.

She said: “It’s not only to raise money for the National Brain Appeal because that's the only way that they make breakthroughs in anything. I was a consultant oncologist, so I know how it works and I know that you need money in order to run trials.”

Thanks to the generous people of Berkhamsted, Carie has raised over £52,000 for charities by taking on other challenges, like walking up Snowdon.

£20,000 raised from her mountain walk funded a scientist to work at a brain tumour research lab at the University College of London Hospitals for eight months.

But Carie doesn’t have a target in mind for raising money this time around.

Her driving force raising funds is to make advances in research as the brain tumour statistics are so morbid.

Carie explained: “All I ever get is reading about families who have lost a loved one and they're all fundraising. I'm still here and I feel like I'm well enough that try and help myself, as well as other people.”

To train for her 26.2-mile route, Carie and Tony, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, have been running around Little Gaddesden together.

She has thanked her husband for support for the last six years through her journey with cancer. Carie said: “He is an amazing man who has been an absolute rock for me and my family.”

When asked why she is pushing herself to run the marathon, Carie said: “When I was diagnosed in 2016, my consultants prescribed my radiotherapy and my chemotherapy, and I would have got the same treatment if I'd been diagnosed 50 years earlier.”

Over £15,600 has been raised so far, to donate please follow this link.