Little Sienna inspires Lisa’s Half Marathon

A civil servant and mum-of-one from East Sussex has completed her first ever Half Marathon, motivated by a family who stayed at Ronald McDonald House Brighton in 2019.

Lisa Fisher had only ‘dabbled’ in running until the beginning of 2022, when she moved rom Croydon to Eastbourne and began going to her local parkrun. She completed her first official 10k race in in June 2022 and afterwards, set her sights on her next challenge, the Eastbourne Half Marathon.

Lisa said: “Last spring I met Marie and Nick, who were told their baby Sienna only had a 50/50 chance of survival when she was born at 24 weeks, weighing just 1lb 7oz. When they shared their story with me, I knew that my next big run had to be for them and for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.”

Marie and Nick stayed for 96 days at the Brighton House, whilst Sienna put up a fight for survival at the nearby Trevor Mann Baby Unit (TMBU). Marie’s older daughter Jolie, who was eight at the time, was able to come and stay with them at weekends, allowing the whole family to be together and retain some sense of normality. Sienna is now three years old and thriving, having overcome so much in her short life so far.

Lisa fought against wind, rain, snow and ice, dark mornings, and injuries during her training. Despite the setbacks along the way, she completed the race on Sunday 5 March in just under three hours, raising an incredible £1,020 for the Charity.

Lisa added: “I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed, be it by donating, or offering support, advice or cheerleading on the day. It was tough at times but thinking of little Sienna and her family kept me going and I’m proud to know that I’ve helped make a difference for other families who might have to stay at a Ronald McDonald House in the future.”

To donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities UK via Lisa’s page, please go to: Lisa Fisher is fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities (justgiving.com).