There’s a date, 11 months ago, that will forever be etched on my psyche. Mother’s Day was on 19 March and my children, Zak and Nell, excitedly woke me up with homemade cards, chocolates and flowers. So far, so normal. But I soon realised I felt odd. And when I was presented with a lovingly made breakfast, I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. Within hours, I was vomiting water and retreated to bed, thinking it was gastro flu.
By the following morning, I couldn’t leave my darkened bedroom. I was even too ill to summon the energy to set my out-of-office. My mother-inlaw, Pam, urged me to see a GP, but I couldn’t get out of bed, let alone go to the surgery. By the next day I was delirious, sending nonsensical texts to family; so, Pam took charge and called an ambulance.
‘Thank goodness you came in when you did.’ With those words from a doctor in A&E, I realised this was serious. I was experiencing sudden, significant kidney failure; perilously close to needing dialysis. It normally occurs in people who are already very ill, with conditions including heart failure or chronic diabetes. I was otherwise healthy, a source of bafflement for the brilliant doctors and nurses who cared for me. Intravenous fluids for 22 hours during my five night in-patient stint got my kidneys working again, but it took two months for me to feel well.
On 21 April this year, exactly 13 months after I was admitted into hospital, I will be running the London Marathon. I don’t love running (weights and Peloton rides are more my thing), but I want to take on a feat that challenges me physically and mentally; to prove, following this scary experience, just what my body is capable of.
In partnership with Lululemon, I’ve recruited four more women who have all overcome personal challenges to join my team and get round those 26.2 miles. The brand makes some of my favourite kit, and their Further initiative – helping women to unlock greater possibilities – speaks directly to our mission at Women’s Health. (And I’ll certainly be looking to, ahem, ‘unlock greater possibilities’ come race day...) You can follow the highs and the lows on the WH site.
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