A 61-year-old mum from Acton who lost her leg last year after battling cancer will be joining her 25-year-old daughter by taking part in next month’s London Marathon to raise money for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH).
Jeanette Winyard, who had her leg amputated in 2024, will walk 10% of the marathon – 2.62 miles – while her daughter, Georgia will be running the full 26.2-mile race on 27 April 2025.
The duo are raising funds to support ongoing cancer treatment and rehabilitation services at RNOH through RNOH Charity.
Jeanette was first diagnosed with muscular sarcoma in 2000 after discovering a lump in her right leg and completed surgery and radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital. In 2015, as a result of the previous surgeries, Jeanette’s right foot turned inwards, meaning she needed an operation at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) to straighten her ankle and toes so she could walk normally.
Then in November 2023, Jeanette found a small lump behind her knee which following a scan was revealed as aggressive osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Doctors at RNOH said the best course of action was an above-knee amputation and surgery took place in February 2024, just days before Georgia moved to New Zealand for work. Jeanette said: “By this time, I was glad to have the surgery because I was in so much pain, I couldn’t do much. The staff at RNOH Stanmore did an amazing job to get me home the day after my birthday and so I could be home for the weekend before Georgia moved to New Zealand.”
After the amputation, Jeanette faced months of chemotherapy, which was made even tougher by reduced cardiac function from previous treatments. But in May, she was given a life-changing opportunity – a place in a trial for a prosthetic leg with an adjustable socket, meaning she didn’t have to wait until after chemo to start learning to walk again.
Georgia said: “I’m really looking forward to the event. The support and atmosphere in London are supposed to be some of the best in the world, and even better, I get to combine it with a trip back home to see friends and family. But more than that, it will be a great achievement for my mum to walk 2.62 miles, less than a year after her last setback and her determination to walk again.”
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