Turning miles into momentum for research.

Sarah Li has always loved a challenge. A six-time marathon runner, she was in training for her next race when life took an unexpected turn.

Now living with stage 4 EGFR lung cancer, on 3 May 2026 she is completing 54km of a 100km Ultra Marathon challenge across the Isle of Wight with the people who stood by her through it all — turning fear into determination, and miles into hope.

Your support can help fund the research that people like Sarah are counting on. Please donate if you can and read her story below.

The diagnosis that changed everything.

In 2024, after visiting her GP with a persistent cough, Sarah was diagnosed with stage 3A EGFR+ lung cancer. She had just turned 40. She lived an active, healthy life. She had no smoking history. The diagnosis was devastating.

Sarah began months of intensive chemo-radiation, followed by immunotherapy — aggressive treatment designed to cure. For six months, her life became a cycle of hospital visits, infusions and scans.

Then came more difficult news.

In January 2025, scans revealed the cancer had spread to her brain. Stage 4. No longer considered curable.

Sarah was quickly started on a targeted therapy — an oral treatment often described by patients as a “miracle pill” — alongside high-dose stereotactic radiotherapy to the brain.

Choosing to move forward anyway

Faced with unimaginable news, Sarah made a powerful decision: to keep moving forward.

In May 2025, she took on an extraordinary challenge. Alongside friends and family, she walked 53km across the Isle of Wight in a single day. It took 15 hours to complete.

Crossing that finish line became a symbol of resilience, strength and hope.

A stage 4 diagnosis changed my life in every way imaginable, but I was determined it wouldn’t all be bad. Walking that distance showed me how incredible my body is, how precious it is to create memories, and how beautiful life really is.

Back to the island — and going further

This year, Sarah is returning to the Isle of Wight to finish what she started — taking on another 54km.

Together with a team of 10 friends and family — many of whom supported her through treatment — this next chapter is about more than distance. It’s about connection, resilience and purpose.

They’ve named themselves “Young Lungs” — a reflection of a reality many still don’t realise: lung cancer is increasingly affecting younger people, including those with no smoking history.

Challenging what people think lung cancer looks like

Sarah’s story challenges the outdated perception of lung cancer.

Around 20% of lung cancers are driven by genetic mutations and are not linked to smoking. Increasingly, younger people with no smoking history are being diagnosed — often later, because they don’t fit the expected profile.

That delay costs lives.

Research is changing what is possible. Targeted therapies are helping people like Sarah live longer. But more progress is urgently needed.