If I take the scenic route back from the village, it's nearly all downhill and gives me a mile round trip, or to put it another way, a third of the Race for Life course.

I set off with a determined but rictus grin on my face, as I passed many of my neighbours who all made encouraging, if abusive, comments. By the time I got home I was gasping for breath, red in the face and rapidly realising that my knees are completely shot at. Why am I doing this to myself? Ah well, therein lies the question.

My mum Pat was, and is, my inspiration. Mum was popular, dedicated and immensely loyal. Qualities which I am sure will be endorsed by the many people whose lives she touched.

One surprising quality of hers, though, was her ostrich-like tendencies. Mum was unlucky enough to get breast cancer twice, both pre and post-menopausally.

When she was first diagnosed in 1989 she put the outcome down to bad luck and lack of awareness. As women we are all told to check our breasts regularly and to be aware of any abnormalities, but let's face it girls, we live in fear of finding a lump, even though that's what we are feeling for.

Mum never did – she developed an inverted nipple and just put it down to her age. It took her six months to get around to mentioning it to the doctor and only did so in passing when she went to get her varicose veins checked out.

After chemo and radiotherapy and a "lifetime" course of tamoxifen, mum finally gained her remission but throughout her treatment she remained cheerful and did her utmost to ensure that none of her friends would ever miss out on treatment due to ignorance.

She supported and helped many of her friends and associates through similar situations and raised money for many charities through her work with Soroptimists – all whilst still working full time. She originally was employed as a PA for the former Yorkshire Health Authority and latterly for the Institute of Nursing based at Leeds University. It was therefore quite surprising when the old ostrich principle arose again ten years later.

After a Soroptimist trip to Eastern Europe, where they visited medical facilities that they had raised funds for, mum confessed that she had found another lump some months before but hadn't done anything about it as she thought we would stop her travelling. Sadly, this time she couldn't beat it and passed from this life just before Christmas 2000 as she had passed through it, in a totally ladylike manner, with dignity and surrounded by family and friends.

Which nicely brings me back to why am I doing this to myself? Well I think everyone should know that the sooner you catch this insidious disease the better the prognosis, the more curative options there are and the better palliative options there are.

Not to mention the usual boring stuff like regular exercise and healthy eating help to reduce the risks of developing cancer.