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Dudley doctor to run London Marathon in memory of husband

A West Midlands doctor has launched a £20,000 appeal in memory of her husband who died last year.

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Dr Sue Carvill, an NHS psychiatrist who has worked in Wolverhampton and now practises in Dudley, is collecting thousands of pounds for the Brain Tumour Charity and will be taking part in one of the world's greatest races to give the fund-raising campaign a boost.

She is competing in the London Marathon on Sunday as a tribute to her husband Chris Murphy who lost his battle with cancer last September at the age of 53 after being diagnosed five months earlier with a brain tumour.

"When Chris was ill I derived a lot of support and information from The Brain Tumour Charity which is the largest brain tumour charity in the UK and second largest in the world," said Sue, who lives in Shrewsbury.

"He'd always been a healthy person, had never smoked and never taken a day off sick. He was a hard working, kind man with a legendary sense of humour. I feel so angry that he had to suffer this and ultimately lost his life to it so I'm doing my best to raise money for his fund within the Brain Tumour Charity.

"That way we can help fight this horrible illness, doing it in Chris's name and keeping his memory alive. Brain tumours are the most common cancer killers in the under 40s but there is inadequate funding into research."

As a result of her personal tragedy Sue has now set up The Chris Murphy Fund within The Brain Tumour Charity, and with the help of friends and family she has already raised over £10,000 and would like to double this amount.

"I have entered the 2015 London Marathon and am busy training in Shrewsbury and getting sponsors. My target is £3,000 for this event so I'm looking for as much backing as possible," she added.

Other activities planned to raise money for Chris's fund include a golf tournament later in April, a tennis tournament at Cound Tennis Club in Shropshire on July 5, and an Irish night at the Digbeth Irish Centre in Birmingham on May 15. Sue and Chris were both from Birmingham and went to school in the city.

Sue's Just Giving page is www.justgiving.com/Sue-Murphy7

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