Woman, 41, who lost both parents and her brother after they were diagnosed with cancer within THREE months of each other reveals how running a virtual half marathon is helping her cope with her grief

Rainbow Murray, 41, from Essex, will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon
It is in tribute to her father who passed away from prostate cancer in November
Tragically, this was not the first loved one that Rainbow had lost to the disease
In 2018, cancer waged a war on her family, with her mother, father and brother suffering from the condition within three months of each other A woman who lost her parents and brother who were diagnosed with cancer within three months of each other has revealed her heartache as she pushes herself to complete another half marathon in their honour.
Rainbow Murray, 41, from Loughton in Essex, will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on April 11 2021, in tribute to her late father who passed away from prostate cancer in November 2020.
Tragically, this was not the first loved one that Rainbow had lost to the disease. In 2018, cancer waged a war on her family, with her mother, father and brother being diagnosed within three months of each other.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Rainbow, who is raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK, said: '[My father] was the kindest, wisest, most selfless person I have ever met, and I am completely heartbroken to have lost him.'
She will be running the marathon at home using a customised app which boasts audio cues and augmented reality that will bring the race course - usually set in Hyde Park - to life.
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Rainbow Murray (pictured centre left), whose parents (pictured centre and far-left) and brother (pictured far-right) were diagnosed with cancer within three months of each other before all dying has revealed her heartache as she pushes herself to complete another half marathon in their honour. Pictured, Rainbow's loved ones in their last family photo
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Rainbow, 41, from Loughton in Essex, will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on April 11 2021, in tribute to her late father (pictured together) who passed away from prostate cancer in November 2020
Rainbow said: 'In August [cancer] took the life of my darling mother, in September my amazing father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, and in October my beloved brother was also diagnosed with it, dying just two devastating months later.'In 2019, a distraught Rainbow took up running to help with the grief of losing her mother and brother.
She has collected thousands of pounds for the hospices who cared for them, before being inspired to start raising money for Prostate Cancer UK on behalf of her father whilst he was still alive.
She said: 'I wanted to do anything that could buy my father more time and give our family one chance to fight back against this awful disease. So, I decided to step-up my training and enter the 2020 Royal Parks Half Marathon.'
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Tragically, this was not the first loved one that Rainbow (pictured right and left, at her inaugural lecture in March 2018), who is a professor of politics, had lost to the disease
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Rainbow pictured centre with her mother left, her father right, and her late brother far-left, and her other sibling far-right
However, in January 2020 Rainbow suffered a severe concussion: 'I had got to ten miles during training, but then fell and hit my head hard on the pavement. I was unable to train again for several months whilst recovering.'
By the time Rainbow had recovered, COVID-19 had put the nation in lockdown and cancer was also closing in on her father.
She recalled: 'By the time the organisers decided to postpone the race from October 2020 to April 2021, I had been made aware that my father would be unlikely to live long enough to see me run the rescheduled race.'
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Rainbow's brother and his fiancee waiting outside her father's house while she completes her half marathon in 2020, two years after her mother and other brother's death
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Rainbow, pictured left, in October 2020 during her first official half marathon run, wearing her Prostate Cancer top, and pictured right, with one of her brothers and father
Determined not to let the date rescheduling stop her completing the race for her loved one, Rainbow decided to run a half marathon on the original date, running it a second time on the rescheduled day.
'I had to train really hard to make up for the months lost due to the injury, but I had my mind set on this goal, and ran through lockdowns, heatwaves, thunderstorms and all the rest,' she said.
WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?
How quickly does it develop?
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs someone has it for many years, according to the NHS.
If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms, a policy of 'watchful waiting' or 'active surveillance' may be adopted.
Some patients can be cured if the disease is treated in the early stages.
But if it diagnosed at a later stage, when it has spread, then it becomes terminal and treatment revolves around relieving symptoms.
Thousands of men are put off seeking a diagnosis because of the known side effects from treatment, including erectile dysfunction.
Tests and treatment
Tests for prostate cancer are haphazard, with accurate tools only just beginning to emerge.
There is no national prostate screening programme as for years the tests have been too inaccurate.
Doctors struggle to distinguish between aggressive and less serious tumours, making it hard to decide on treatment.
Men over 50 are eligible for a ‘PSA’ blood test which gives doctors a rough idea of whether a patient is at risk.
But it is unreliable. Patients who get a positive result are usually given a biopsy which is also not foolproof.
Scientists are unsure as to what causes prostate cancer, but age, obesity and a lack of exercise are known risks.
Anyone with any concerns can speak to Prostate Cancer UK's specialist nurses on 0800 074 8383 or visit prostatecanceruk.org
By October 2020, her father's mobility had declined so sharply that he could no longer travel to watch Rainbow run.
Last minute, she changed the course and did laps of the area around his home instead, running past his front door four times, with the last time being the finishing line.
Rainbow admitted: 'The sight of him looking so proud and cheering me on put an extra wind in my sails and I completed the race in under 1 hour 45 minutes.
'This was a massive personal best for a 40-something working parent who came last in every race at school.
'But sadly, that was one of the last good days we had with my dad, and he passed away on November 17,' Rainbow revealed.
'He was the kindest, wisest, most selfless person I have ever met, and I am completely heartbroken to have lost him. I fulfilled my dream of running the race in his lifetime, but not of helping to find a miracle cure for prostate cancer.'
Rainbow has raised more than £5,000 for Prostate Cancer UK to date and still plans to complete the Royal Parks Half Marathon's digital experience on her treadmill on April 11 2021, as well as the same race in October 2021.
Running has been particularly therapeutic for helping Rainbow, who is a professor of politics, deal with bereavement, especially with her feelings of anger.
Despite finding it hard to fit training in during the week, as she has additional childcare duties due to the pandemic, her workouts have been going well and the symptoms of her concussion have almost completely gone.
Explaining why Prostate Cancer UK was her chosen charity, Rainbow said: 'My father survived 26 months past his diagnosis.
'Most of that survival time was thanks to hormone therapy treatments that weren't available even a decade ago, and they didn't just keep him alive, they gave him a decent quality of life too.
'So I want to say thank you for those precious months where the treatment did work, and support their ongoing work to find new treatments.
'I treasured every single day with my father, and I want to help other men and their families have more time together and more success fighting this illness.'
Donate to Rainbow's cause here.
Project Lead at The Royal Parks, Persephone Deacon-Cole, said: 'Supporting charities in need during this time is more important than ever before.
'The Royal Parks Half was created in 2008 to raise sustainable funds for The Royal Parks and enable charities of all sizes to be involved in a major challenge event.
'The impact of Covid on the mass participation sports industry has had significant repercussions for ourselves and our charity partners.
'We hope this one-of-a-kind digital experience will excite runners across the nation and encourage them to support the charity of their choice.'