A nurse is training to take part in a marathon in support of people suffering from muscular dystrophy.

Just ten months ago, Vicky Hartley's life changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy - but now she is training for the 26.2 mile London Marathon.

Her nephew Oli, 23, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy before his first birthday and has always been in a wheelchair.

Despite this, he has never allowed his condition to get in the way of what he is able to do, being an avid Albion fan, competing in wheelchair football and an active social life with family and friends.

With Oli's "life is for living" motto and Vicky's treatment last year, she decided to celebrate her life - and when a friend got a place in the London Marathon, she saw it as a sign.

"’I've always wanted to run a marathon but never got around to committing to it," she said. "I thought that this must be someone trying to tell me something. Despite my own health needs, having witnessed the impact of my nephew living with a muscle wasting condition, there was always going to be only one charity I would run a marathon for."

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Vicky, a paediatric nurse from Worthing, signed up with Muscular Dystrophy UK to raise money for their research and therapies.

With just a few weeks to go until the marathon on April 21, Vicky is training regularly with her friend and their running club, Foxy Ladies, which she has been a member of for eight years.

Vicky said: “Everyone has been so supportive, both in terms of donations and helping with marathon training tips.

“Since my cancer diagnosis, running has been beneficial for my physical and mental wellbeing. It hasn’t been an easy journey and I continue to suffer with joint pain, but running does help and Oli is my inspiration for this challenge.

"I want to raise as much as I can for Muscular Dystrophy UK to help fund ground-breaking research into different muscle wasting conditions. Not just for Oli, but all the other brave young people and their families I’ve met during my 30-year career as a paediatric nurse.”