Both new at school, they soon relied on each other for support and would get the bus to and from school together every day.
Hannah said: “Our friendship grew over the years, and we bonded over our competitiveness on pretty much anything – who had the best tan after a holiday, or who could last longest on the treadmill.
“Lucy loved to travel, she made friends all over the world and was amazing at keeping in touch with everyone, no matter what time zone they lived in.
“And it was while she was travelling that she finally found her soul mate, Liam.”
In June 2013, Lucy suddenly developed a maddening itch all over her body. At first, medics thought it was an allergy or scabies, when in fact it was a sign of cholangiocarcinoma – a type of liver cancer.
It took four months before Lucy was told the devastating news, after multiple visits to hospital, where doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong with her.
By the time Lucy got her diagnosis, the cancer was too advanced for curative surgery, so she started chemotherapy.
In October 2014, when she was halfway through her treatment, Lucy married Liam.
Lucy-May and Liam on their wedding day (Image: Hannah Ewing)But shortly after their wedding, Lucy-May was told there was nothing more that could be done to stop the cancer.
She died in February 2015, a month before her 30th birthday. That year, Hannah began ten years of attempts to run the London Marathon in her memory.
Now 40, Hannah, from Primrose Hill, has finally succeeded in winning a place awarded to the charity AMMF – The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity by the London Marathon’s Charity Bond Scheme.
She said: “Lucy was the most incredible, full of life, kind, thoughtful, beautiful, funny and determined woman, with an infectious smile that would light up any room.
“She was the most loving and devoted friend, wife, daughter, and sister.
“From the moment that Lucy was diagnosed she never gave up, she was determined not to let it beat her or stop her from living her life…even on her wedding day she banned anyone from mentioning her illness so she could just bask in the happiness of the best day of her life.”
Hannah is supporting AMMF’s ‘Rethink Liver Cancer’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness of this often misunderstood cancer and fund research into its causes and a potential cure.
Hannah, who works on TV documentaries and series including ITV’s DNA Journey, is not a natural runner and has never run a marathon before.
Her training for this month’s race began at the start of the year while she was filming in Jamaica.
She joined a ‘Run Before the Sun’ running club on the island, which meant getting up at 4am to train before temperatures soared.
To donate to AMMF through Hannah’s Marathon fundraising page visit: justgiving.com/page/hannah-ewing-run-for-lucy-may.
