Wedding dress run weeks after chemo

A WOMAN is set to run the Cardiff Half Marathon in her wedding dress – two weeks after going through chemotherapy.

Janine Osborne-Bowring, 35, was diagnosed with Wegeners Granulomatosis, a form of vasculitis, in December 2015.

The autoimmune disease causes inflammation of the blood vessels causing them to become swollen and narrow.

Janine, known as Jin, was left deaf in her right ear, suffering from sinusitis and her lungs were badly damaged. She has chemotherapy every six months to try to control the disease.

Her run in the half marathon will raise money for two charities – JDRF Wales, a charity that helps people come to terms with juvenile type one diabetes, and a cystic fibrosis charity.

The challenge follows on from Janine climbing eight mountains in eight days in her wedding gear along with husband Matt after their wedding in August, raising £1,800 for Vasculitis UK.

Janine said: “When I got diagnosed with this disease, the prognosis wasn’t good. I lost the hearing in my right ear, I was left with an imbalance and my lungs were badly damaged.

“The only way to control it is the same chemotherapy that is used to treat leukaemia. Every six months I have a dose, but it wipes you out. The disease never goes away, you just stay in remission.”

Because of the chemotherapy, Janine has been unable to train for the Cardiff Half Marathon, saying she is “just winging it”.

She said: “I did it last year when I was first diagnosed as a way to show me and others you can still do things.

“This year I wanted to do it for my friend’s daughter who was diagnosed with type one diabetes and my other friend who has cystic fibrosis. We’ve all got autoimmune diseases but they’re not able to do it, so I am.”

She added: “I know I’ll have this disease for life and I have to deal with that, but I will not let it beat me... Slowly but surely, fitness has helped me to get strong again.”

Jin, who runs JinFit, a wellbeing and workout centre in Penarth, added: “My wedding dress is a little worse for wear after climbing eight mountains in it, but a quick sponge down and a spritz of perfume and it’ll be fine for Sunday.

“I don’t see the point of such a beautiful dress gathering dust under my bed or on top of the wardrobe when I can use it to raise awareness and raise money for such good causes.”

Cardiff Half Marathon route map – pages 24&25