Durham pharmacist Claire Humphries, 62, is raising money for a cancer charity after finding a lump the “size of an ostrich egg”. 

The 62-year-old pharmacist who works in a GP surgery is taking on the half marathon the Great North Run on September 7 and will be donating to Sarcoma UK, a charity that funds research and offers support to those affected by sarcoma cancer. 

Read more: 'It was terrifying': Pharmacist's brain tumour misdiagnosed as food poisoning 

A keen runner and cyclist, Humphries found the lump when massaging her thigh shortly before she planned to go on a big family holiday to India and South America. 

After an ultrasound scan, Humphries was diagnosed with myxoid liposarcoma, a condition that has around only 72 cases in the UK each year. 

Read more: Mountain climb raises £2.6k for pharmacy technician 

She said the “hardest thing” was telling her two sons which was “heartbreaking”, and she had to cancel the holiday. 

“It was the last thing I would think of at night and the first thing I’d think about when I woke up,” she added. 

Humphries had knowledge of sarcoma as her cousin was diagnosed with it six decades ago and had her leg amputated before passing away. One of her good friend’s also had a similar diagnosis the year before and offered support throughout. 

After 25 radiotherapy treatments to shrink the tumour, followed by surgery to remove traces of the cancer and leave her without her sartorius muscle in her thigh, Humphries has returned to her active lifestyle in between regular scans to check if the cancer has returned. 

Read more: From coffee in Yorkshire to the mountains of Morocco: pharmacy fundraisers 

“You can’t dwell on it too much, you have to be positive,” she said. “It feels like looking into a black hole and that you might fall into it. Cancer is not the end of the world now and you can live with it successfully.” 

Humphries is keen to raise the awareness of sarcoma, and thanked Sarcoma UK’s “invaluable” support line team for advising her on the treatment after being told she needed chemotherapy. 

Read more: Southport pharmacist running marathon for Elsie’s Story 

 “I rang the support line and they explained that chemo is not usually the treatment for my subtype. They gave me the confidence to challenge this and told me to create an audit trail.” 

While going through radiotherapy, Humphries said the charity’s nurses “knew and understood what I was going through and offered practical support” as well as being “very caring”. 

Sarcoma UK’s head of support Helen Stradling said Claire's case “highlights why our support line exists - to provide patients and families with access to specialist knowledge about sarcoma”.  

She added: “Every patient deserves to feel confident about their treatment plan, and we're here to help people navigate what can be a very complex and overwhelming time.  

Read more: £700k awarded to support pharmacists in last five years 

“Her decision to run for us in the Great North Run is incredibly inspiring and will help us continue supporting other patients facing similar challenges." 

Humphries has so far raised £1,889 of her £2,000 target and you can donate to her run here. 

Walk for Wellbeing 

The pharmacy profession’s charity Pharmacist Support has launched its walking campaign to “raise vital funds for the charity’s free and confidential support services” as well as “tackle loneliness” within pharmacy. 

The campaign responds to the charity’s 2024 workforce wellbeing survey where 70% of pharmacy professionals felt “lonely or isolated often or very often” and 35% reporting “poor or very poor mental health”. 

Read more: Burnout, inadequate staffing and loneliness: Wellbeing survey reveals ‘relentless’ pressure in pharmacy 

Pharmacist Support started the campaign with a joint wellbeing walk with one of its partners the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), and it is encouraging all pharmacy professionals, students, friends and families to organise their own walks. 

Pharmacist Support chief executive Danielle Hunt said the Walk for Wellbeing campaign is about “bringing people together, sparking meaningful conversations, and funding the services people turn to when they’re struggling”. 

Read more: Pharmacist Support celebrates 184th birthday with donations appeal 

Those who take part can choose the date, distance and location to walk, and then register it with Pharmacist Support to receive a fundraising pack to support the walk. 

Participants can then create a JustGiving fundraising page to collect donations for the walk. 

It comes as Pharmacist Support announced in July that it had awarded £696,410 in financial assistance grants in the last five years.