Bradley Measor running in memory of sister who died at just 25

Bradley Measor lost his sister Alicia in November 2016. She died taking morphine for a medical condition.

After her death Bradley, 24, was left with a huge hole in his life and the loss affected his mental health.

Bradley, from Parsons Heath in Colchester, started running to clear his mind and has since been taking part in runs for the mental health charity, Mind.

He is now gearing up to run the Brighton Marathon in April for Mind, which is based in Colchester.

He said: “At first after Alicia’s death I felt numb, in a daze.

“I was trying to carry the weight of other people’s pain so I guess I didn’t even have time to grieve until a few months in when it really started to feel real.

“I didn’t realise how bad I was mentally until a year after.

“I hit rock bottom at a couple of points and really did feel like I didn’t want to be here anymore.

“I didn’t know how to tell anyone, it took a long time to get through it.”

He took part in counselling sessions and saw his GP.

He said: “I refused medication as I wanted to make myself better, so I did every necessary step to do so.

“I took every positive I could out of every day. I still had bad days but I believed I could make it out.

“I started to run, having just an hour with my music in and running did me wonders.”

In March last year he decided to run the Colchester Half Marathon and raised £1,500 for Mind.

He said: “I was so happy with how many people supported it and believed in me.

“I’m now running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for Mind again because, for me, it’s probably the most important charity out there.”

On his fundraising page he said when Alicia died she ‘took a part of him with her’.

The page said: “This is going to be a tough challenge but I will push myself harder than I ever have to finish it.

“I’ll do this for everyone going through their daily struggles, in memory of my sister, and for myself.”

To donate visit www.gofundme.com/f/1t4vhfz440.