TWO Littleover mums who took up running to raise money for a diabetes charity will take part in their first London Marathon on Sunday.
Fiona Finnegan and close friend Sarah Waldron, both 44, are on track to raise £7,000 should they complete the 26.2-mile slog.
Fiona Finnegan, left, and friend Sarah Waldron, right, are running the London Marathon to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Fiona's daughter, Clare, centre, has type-one diabetes.
Their inspiration is Fiona's daughter, Clare, who was diagnosed with type-one diabetes five years ago at the age of nine.
Fiona, of Kingswood Place, said the news was a "shock out of the blue" and that she was now on a mission to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The mum-of-two said: "We had no idea she had it as we did not know what the symptoms were.
"I didn't even know there was type-one and type-two.
"Clare was only nine. To be given this life sentence of daily injections and blood tests was very hard for her.
"There's no holiday from diabetes – she can never have a day off from it."
Fiona said the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was close to her heart as it was working to find a cure for the condition.
It is also coming up with new treatments and ways to control diabetes.
One such development is an insulin pump – a small portable device that is attached to the body and delivers insulin via a catheter placed under the skin. Clare, now 14, was given an insulin pump two years ago and so no longer requires daily injections.
Fiona said she and Sarah were trying to raise as much as they could so the foundation could continue its "vital" research.
She said: "Neither of us have ever run a marathon before but we're both determined to support the foundation – even if they do say you shouldn't take up running in your 40s.
"At the last check we were a few pounds short of £7,000. We're absolutely thrilled to get that."
To sponsor Fiona and Sarah, visit
