Daughter honours mum with double marathon effort

A MIDLAND woman who died after being diagnosed with cancer was initially told her change in bowel habits were because of an intolerance to certain foods.

- GEORGE MATHIAS

Maria Paszkiewicz, 76, was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in August 2023 - which spread to her liver.

Initially, chemotherapy treatment appeared to show promise but the disease soon became resistant to the later chemo.

In mid-April 2024, Maria was given a prognosis of three to six months - though she died suddenly just three days later on April 25.

Her daughter, Anne-Marie, 43, has decided to commemorate her mum by running two marathons in a week in her memory including today’s London Marathon.

Sporty Anne-Marie has been an avid runner for 15 years and completed an incredible 22 marathons - including the New York, Tokyo and Paris - and 78 half marathons, racking up an impressive 1598.2 race miles so far overall.