A mum of two will run her first marathon next month in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cervical cancer.

Kirsty Richardson, from Shipdham, near Dereham, was herself diagnosed with cervical cancer in December 2018.

“It was November 2018, when I had my first routine smear,” said Miss Richardson.

“I went for my smear as normal, didn’t think anything of it, waited for my letter to come through with my result and I had a letter come through to say that there was a problem and I need to be seen [for a] caloposy at the hospital.”

On December 6, 2018, Miss Richardson underwent a LLETZ, which is the most common treatment to remove abnormal cells from the cervix.

A further meeting with her consultant was scheduled for December 27, 2018, but Miss Richardson felt unable to face Christmas amidst the uncertainty of her condition.

“I actually rang the cancer nurse and just said ‘Look, I need to know: have I, or have I not [got cancer]? Because I can’t go through Christmas not knowing,” said Miss Richardson.

The nurse told her that she did, but that she would have to wait till her consultation for the specific details.

Her younger child was just eight months old at the time.

“It was horrible. You hear about it all the time and you think: ‘It’s not going to affect me.’

“They say to you: ‘Yes, you’ve got cancer,’ and you think ‘Me?’

“When you hear that sentence, everything else just blares out and you try and go through [it in] your head: ‘But I can’t, because I don’t have any symptoms. How is that possible?’”

A second LLETZ on January 16, 2019 proved successful in removing the cancer and Miss Richardson got the all-clear.

On September 12, Miss Richardson's marathon will raise money for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which she said had been an “amazing” source of support following her diagnosis.

She encouraged all women to attend their routine smear tests: “I had no symptoms whatsoever.

“If I hadn’t had my smear, I would never have known, maybe until it was too late.”

To donate to Miss Richardson’s marathon, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-Richardson17