Mother’s run for hospital charity

Laura Edmonds, who lives in Aylesbury, was diagnosed with a tumour in her womb, known as a gestational trophoblastic tumour, during her first pregnancy.

Sadly, the baby died, but thanks to the expertise of the staff at Charing Cross Hospital, Laura survived and she now has two sons.

“It could have killed me but, because it was detected in my 13-week scan, it was picked up really early,” said Laura, aged 45.

“As the tumour developed in the womb, the baby died. It was devastating – not only for me but for my husband, Stephen, too.”

A gestational trophoblastic tumour grows from the tissue that forms in the womb during pregnancy.

Laura’s tumour was removed at Stoke Mandeville Hospital but the specialist team at Charing Cross, continued to screen Laura’s blood for a further six months.

When she became pregnant again with sons, Callum and David, now 17 and 15, Charing Cross continued to monitor her condition.

Laura said: “Charing Cross were really thorough. It was reassuring to know I was receiving specialist care and being dealt with by people who had expertise in something that was quite rare. That made a huge difference.”

Laura, who is a physiotherapist, will be running the 10K for Imperial Healthcare Charity, which raises funds for research and projects that help improve healthcare at five London hospitals.

Starting in The Mall, in central London, the race goes past St Paul’s Cathedral and ends at Buckingham Palace.

Laura said: “It should be fun. As long as I cross the line, I’ll be happy as it means I’ve raised more than £200 for the charity.”