Sarah's Story: "I was trying to keep strong for her, but inside I was screaming, 'I can't lose her.'"
- The Natalie Kate Moss Trust
- Oct 7
- 2 min read
Mum calls it her 'brain fart'.
I know that name might seem crazy, but mum has been through the mill. She survived breast cancer and she's always suffered from migraines. But six years ago, she had one that just wouldn't shift.
She went to the doctors and asked for something to help, something stronger. When she told them it started with something that felt a bit like a thunderclap of pain, they blue lighted her straight to hospital. That's where we found out she'd had not one, but two, aneurysms.
There were no words to describe what happened next; she went from having what we thought was a migraine to being on death's door – ringing the doorbell.
Mum is my best friend. She's the grounding force of the family; whenever you've got a problem or anything, you ring her up saying, ‘Oh, I'm having a terrible day’. But now, the person that I usually turn to was the person on the operating table.
I was trying to keep strong for her, but inside I was screaming, 'I can't lose her.'
I was pacing the corridors when I saw her come out of theatre. When she looked at me, she knew me straight away. I can’t tell you the relief I felt. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and mum is one of the toughest. Although she’d had major brain surgery and was in intensive care for a while, she still made sure someone was there to sort her hair out, make it just right. That’s my mum.
20 years ago, mum might not have survived. That’s why research is so important – because it brings us developments in treatments and helps people to live better after aneurysms.
That’s where running came in for me; it's done so much for me that I want to use it to give back, to make a difference to others in our situation. Before January last year, I wouldn't even run for the ice cream man. But I decided to enter the ballot for the Great North Run that year. And unluckily – or luckily, thinking back – I got in. I run 30-40 miles a week now!
I discovered The Natalie Kate Moss Trust by accident, when looking for a charity to support during my runs and thought to myself, 'Thank God, that's the sign.' I’m doing the big one in 2026 – the London Marathon – for The Natalie Kate Moss Trust.
Some days I can’t quite believe it – but I’m very excited.
Mum is with me, every step of the way. Today, she has some problems with her throat and sometimes she can’t find the words she wants to express herself. But considering all she’s been through, she really doesn’t miss a trick. And, thanks to the care she received, she gets to watch her grandkids grow up. We've got so much to be thankful for.
