A former pupil of Ribblesdale High School Technology College, Clitheroe, Sadie Whalley (neé Ellis) (38) will pound the streets of Tyneside on Sunday to boost funds for charity.

The inspirational mother-of-two, who underwent a kidney transplant aged 23, is looking forward to taking part in the half-marathon in aid of the Leukaemia Research Fund.

Sadie was born and brought up in Clitheroe and attended Edisford Primary School. On leaving high school, she worked at Ultraframe, until she married in 1990. A year later she and her husband moved to Warwickshire, and not long afterwards were hit by the news Sadie's kidneys had failed.

She was on dialysis for two years when, in 1993, her father donated one of his kidneys and she was able to have a successful transplant and went on give birth to two sons, aged six and 10.

However, in November 2005 she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It took two years of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire to fight her cancer and she is finally free of all medication.

To honour her strength and courage, she is now gearing up to run the race to help fund research to eradicate leukaemia.

She said: "The past few years have been difficult and I very nearly didn't make it. Because of my chemotherapy treatment, two years ago I was walking with the aid of a stick. But I am back on my two feet, living each and every day to the full and want the support of generous Ribble Valley folk to help me raise as much money as possible for the Leukaemia Research Fund."

Anyone wishing to pledge support is urged to visit www.justgiving.com/sadiewhalley or call her on 01788 833821.