A self-confessed latecomer to exercise, Julie Lineham from Wales is certainly making up for it now and plans to walk six marathons in 2025 to raise money for research into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Julie, 62, is the fourth generation of her family to have breast cancer. In early November last year (2024), she was diagnosed with High Grade Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), an early breast cancer which, if left undiagnosed, can lead to more invasive treatment including a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
Because of her family history, Julie had been receiving regular screenings since her mid-30s which meant her cancer was detected early. Just a few weeks after the diagnosis, she had a lumpectomy at Royal Gwent Hospital and just before Christmas received the good news that all the cancerous cells had been removed. She will now receive a course of radiotherapy to complete her treatment.
Julie said: “I’d always known there was a higher risk of me developing breast cancer, so to be honest when I received the diagnosis it wasn’t a huge surprise, and I didn’t think it was that bad. After watching my mother have a mastectomy and chemotherapy and seeing how ill and rough she was, I felt quite lucky I didn’t have to go through that because of catching it so early.”
She added: “Research into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer has always been close to my heart because from a young age I have seen how breast cancer can impact an individual and their families. I have seen the worry, stress and anger it has caused.”
Never too late
Julie, from Mountain Ash in Mid Glamorgan, started walking during Covid and as carer to her father, who had dementia, she would walk to and from his house twice a day – a three-mile round trip.
Julie, who also does 15 minutes of yoga every morning and a twice-weekly dance fitness class, added: “I’m more active now than I’ve ever been. I was never this active in my 20s, 30s or even 40s but I realised as I got older that I needed to look after myself better. My mother didn’t die from breast cancer, she survived it, but she was only 67 when she died, and her mother was only 66.”
After walking to and from her father’s house during Covid, the distances Julie walked just kept increasing and at one point her sports watch recorded she had travelled the equivalent of walking from her home in Wales to the tip of South Africa – more than 1000 miles away.
An appetite for exercise
The mum of three sons, Julie had always wanted to walk the distance of a marathon and in September last year (2024) took part in the Shine Night Walk with her daughter-in-law Claire – a fundraising night-time walk in London which raises money for life-saving cancer research.
Despite the terrible weather and getting soaked through, she was thrilled to finish, and it gave her an appetite for more walking challenges. However just a few weeks later she received her breast cancer diagnosis. Instead of wallowing, Julie decided to set herself a challenge of walking six marathons in 2025 – the equivalent of walking from her home to London, nearly 160 miles.
The retired social worker plans to create her own 26.2 mile routes, taking in some of the beautiful Welsh countryside which surrounds where she lives, and she’s also signed up to the Alzheimer’s Society Trek26 event in London in May in memory of her father Bob who died last year.
Although her exercise regime has been slightly dialled down during her treatment, she plans on resuming her long walk training soon, after her radiotherapy ends, to prepare for the first walk in May. The Trek26 walk will be the kick-off point for the other five walks and she plans to complete one a month from June.
Determined Julie is not too concerned about the walking bit of the challenge but is making sure her route planning includes regular toilet stops and failing that will have her husband meet her at regular intervals with their camper van.
Why Breast Cancer UK?
Julie is a big campaigner about the importance of women having mammogram screenings and regularly posts on her social media encouraging people to get checked and report any unusual changes to their breasts.
One of the main reasons she is supporting Breast Cancer UK is the research the charity undertakes into harmful chemicals in the environment and the link to breast cancer.
She said: “I’ve always been concerned about harmful chemicals that can be found in our foods and the environment. I do all my cooking from scratch pretty much, so I know what I’m putting into it – you look at some of the food labels nowadays and you have no idea what some of the stuff is.”
Breast Cancer UK funds animal-free research into the effects of harmful chemicals on the human breast. Their research about the links between harmful chemicals and breast cancer are informed by decades of scientific evidence. For more information and easy, everyday ways to help reduce your risk and live a healthier life, check out their Prevention Hub.
To make a donation visit Julie’s JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/julie-lineham-1732408812288
