A 75-year-old London woman, diagnosed with blood cancer, is poised to fulfil a lifelong ambition by completing the London Marathon alongside her daughter, a year after her initial attempt was cut short and led to her diagnosis.
Pritpal Kaur, a sales assistant at Harrods, first attempted the iconic race in 2023 with her 45-year-old daughter, freelance journalist Minreet Kaur. However, severe cramping forced her to withdraw at mile 17. In the weeks that followed, Pritpal began experiencing "really bad back pain" and profound fatigue, symptoms she initially attributed to the gruelling marathon.
What followed was, in Minreet’s words, "five months of hell" as they navigated a frustrating journey through the healthcare system. Pritpal’s initial doctor’s visit in May led to painkillers, with medical professionals suggesting her symptoms were linked to "old age" after general blood tests returned normal. By June, with painkillers proving ineffective and Pritpal suffering from shortness of breath, Minreet took her mother to A&E at West Middlesex University Hospital, where further tests yielded no clear answers.
A subsequent scan revealed a moderate blockage in Pritpal’s chest, diagnosed as angina, and she was prescribed medication. However, shortly after starting the treatment, Pritpal experienced sudden cramps on the left side of her body while at work, prompting her to tell her manager, "I need to sit down because I think I’m going to fall down."
Concerned, Minreet encouraged her mother to stop the medication and challenged the prescribing doctors. Unhappy with their response, Minreet filed a complaint with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). This intervention proved crucial, leading a senior cardiologist to recommend further investigations. Minreet recalled, "When I pushed and pushed and went to PALS and put a complaint in, it was from the complaint that they then said, ‘Come in for some further tests’."
By September 2023, Pritpal, then 73, received the devastating news: she had myeloma, a type of cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow. The diagnosis was confirmed through a bone mineral density scan, a blood test showing abnormal paraprotein levels, and a bone marrow test. "When we were told I had myeloma, I just started crying. I didn’t know what to do and I was just so shocked," Pritpal said. Minreet described the moment of diagnosis: "You’re sitting in this small room with two little chairs and white walls. Then the doctor said, ‘We’ve got the bone marrow test back, it confirms that you’ve got blood cancer, and you need to start treatment straight away’. It was all going over my head. We just couldn’t believe what we heard."
According to the NHS, common symptoms of myeloma include bone pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle weakness, headaches, and weight loss.
After a week to process the "shock", Pritpal began chemotherapy and a regimen of medication to strengthen her bones. Minreet described this period as "the worst time of our lives. She was spending loads of time sleeping and not eating. It was just horrible."
Remarkably, after six months of treatment, Pritpal’s paraprotein levels dropped, and she achieved remission by March 2024, though she will require monthly infusions for life.
Inspired by her mother’s resilience, Minreet, along with her father Rajinder, ran the London Marathon in April 2024 to raise money for Blood Cancer UK. Minreet also founded "Asian Women Run", a west London running group aimed at encouraging "more representation" and helping "Asian women get active".
Pritpal has since regained enough strength to join group park runs and, at the start of this year, placed "do the London Marathon once in my lifetime" at the top of her intentions list. In February, when a few marathon spots were allocated to Minreet’s running group, she offered one to her mother, knowing it was Pritpal’s "dream" to complete what she couldn’t in 2023.
Pritpal eagerly accepted, and the mother-daughter duo has been training rigorously, employing a technique known as "jeffing" – alternating between running and walking. Their preparation has included multiple 10K and 15K races, a hike in Portugal, and a 10K on Mother’s Day. On Sunday, April 26, they plan to wear matching "Asian Women Run" tees, shoes, and leggings as they tackle the course.
Reflecting on the prospect of crossing the finish line, Pritpal said: "It would be a dream come true. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do so I’d be over the moon. And if I’ve got the energy, I’m definitely going to sprint over the finish line." Minreet added: "It’d be amazing. A mother and daughter thing. I think it’d be something to remember for life and hopefully it encourages so many other people like us to know that you can do it too."
A spokesperson for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust stated: "While we do not comment on the care or treatment of individual patients, the Trust is committed to providing safe, high-quality care and follows robust clinical and governance processes to ensure concerns are reviewed and used to improve our services."
To support their London Marathon fundraiser, visit their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/from-myeloma-to-london-marathon-:green-background[2026]-together-again.
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