Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info When Laura Coleman-Day’s husband Xander started feeling unwell, they assumed it was nothing more than a string of viruses picked up at their son’s nursery. They were hardworking, sleep-deprived young parents and devoted to their little boy Amos. It didn’t occur to either of them that Xander could be seriously ill. “He kept catching bugs and had really bad night sweats, but we just thought it was normal,” Laura, 33, says. “So I told him: ‘Either stop moaning or go to a doctor.’ “The GP couldn’t put his finger on it but said something wasn’t right. We were sent for bloods, and that same evening we were told to get him to A&E where it emerged his white blood cell count was through the roof.” Xander, a fit and active RAF aerospace battle manager, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer. The couple, from Witham St Hughs, in Lincolnshire, were deeply shocked and had no chance to process what had happened before he started emergency chemotherapy. Further tests revealed that he carried the Philadelphia chromosome, a genetic anomaly which meant his best chance of survival would be a stem cell transplant.By December 2022 Xander was declared cancer-free, but he went ahead with the transplant in January to prevent the leukaemia from coming back. Despite there being no signs of the disease, the couple knew they weren’t out of the woods.“It was good news and we were both really happy,” Laura says. “But we thought it was just one step in what was going to be a long road to recovery. “He was still really poorly and we had to spend Christmas on our own, isolating in readiness for him to go back into the hospital for the stem cell transplant. It felt like we were back in Covid.” It was a tough process and gruelling treatment, but Xander stayed strong and positive throughout, adamant that he never wanted to hear about survival chances or statistics.Heartbreakingly, their relief was short-lived. By June 2023 Xander once again felt very ill. He had developed graft-versus-host disease, a complication in which the donor’s immune cells began attacking his organs. His liver deteriorated, he suffered infection after infection and his kidneys failed.In February 2024 the couple learned that there were no further treatment options. Xander, who had been young, fit and active, never smoked and rarely drank, would require palliative care. Hours after being discharged from hospital, he died aged just 36. His final wish had been to die in his own bed. “We fought all day to get him home,’ Laura says sadly. “And he passed away two or three hours later. He was where he wanted to be. He fought so hard. He stayed positive until the very end.You read about things like this happening to other families, and you think, ‘That’ll never be us.’ But then one day, it is. It’s impossible to wrap your head around.” Over the last year Laura has completed a gruelling challenge in Xander’s memory running 12 marathons in 12 months, raising thousands for Anthony Nolan, the charity which supported them and found a donor.On Sunday she will undertake a 13th, the London Marathon. The day would have been the couple’s sixth wedding anniversary and she intends to run the final miles in her bridal gown, a full ‘proper princess dress’ with a long train. “It’s ridiculous,” she laughs. “Xander would be telling me I’m completely bonkers - and he wouldn’t be wrong. “He was my biggest cheerleader, my best friend. He would be so proud of what I’ve done - not just the running, but the awareness, the fundraising, just keeping going through the hardest year of my life.” The months since Xander’s death have been unimaginable for Laura, who now faces parenthood alone. “Amos was two when his dad died,” she says. “He’s three now. He’s my reason for everything. I’ve told people honestly: if it weren’t for Amos, I wouldn’t still be here. “He’s the most wonderful little boy. So like his dad in temperament, mannerisms, and he's the spitting image of him, so that that keeps me going.” Laura, who works as a solicitor, has trained for her marathons on a treadmill at night while Amos slept. She has already raised more than £14,000 to “help save future mummies and daddies” who find themselves in the same terrible situation that she and Xander faced. Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, says: “Laura’s incredible 12 marathons in 12 months challenge is a remarkable display of her strength and determination. “By taking on this massive fundraising challenge, Laura has raised an impressive £14,000 for Anthony Nolan and we at JustGiving cannot applaud her enough.”