As a child Michelle wanted to be a musician but she chose nursing as her career of choice.

“I just love meeting people,” says Michelle “I like helping them and learning all about their lives. Through caring for patients you realise we all have so much to be grateful for.”

“I have been nursing for 40 years – good grief, I am so old! I began my career as a nursing assistant at Grenoside Grange Hospital in Sheffield and then after my training I nursed at St Joseph’s Hospital.”

Michelle is a Community Nurse Continuing Healthcare Assessor and her nursing career has been a varied one, also studying for qualifications in teaching and social work along the way. But in 2015 Michelle took early retirement due to a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart. The outlook wasn’t good, at the time Michelle was only given two years to live.

“Luckily for me,” remembers Michelle “the diagnosis was incorrect so I was able to get married and I returned to nursing.”

Other symptoms led to Michelle seeking more medical advice and she was diagnosed with a cavernoma on the brain, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels usually found in the brain and spinal cord, and also a connective tissue disorder. She’s able to manage these conditions and continue with her nursing career.

Michelle signed up to the #10kForNurses 2019 fundraising campaign, and chose to do a sponsored 10km run.

“My colleague suggested that I do something, it’s all her fault!” says Michelle. “When I was training I struggled financially whilst also bringing a young child into the world as a single parent. Sometimes the child care fees were almost as much as I earned. I had no family nearby and doing shift work meant finding expensive out of hours child care.

“I know what it is like to struggle so I’m keen to help other nursing colleagues by raising some money.”

Michelle says she loves running and started after her personal trainer put her on a treadmill.

“I thought I was too fat to run!” says Michelle “I was 14 stone at the time but I love running and have completed several half marathons, 10ks and 5ks and last year I ran in the English Cross Country Championships. I am also far from 14 stones now!”

Michelle completed her 10k challenge on 13th October at Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham.

“The race was incredibly tough as I had sustained a meniscus tear in my left knee. I thought I would have to walk the course but I managed to run, although slowly, all of the 10km.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the race and felt very proud that I kept going. Quite a few people complimented me on the lovely #10kForNurses T-shirt I was wearing, this was a great motivator for me and I fully support the charity.”

“If anyone is thinking of signing up to do a run for 10k Your Way, I would say train hard and run easy. Join a running club too. I run with 2 groups, the Kimberworth Striders and the Ingle Runners, an all-female club, and they are such a help with training plans, support and running injuries. Above all, have fun and enjoy it!”

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