Holly is one of our Big Half runners who is running to raise money for sight-saving research this September.
Holly’s story:
“I work as Head of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety at Newmedica, and my clinical background is in medical retina, so retinal disease has been a major part of my working life for years. It’s also very personal to me. My grandma has dry age-related macular degeneration, and seeing somebody gradually adapt to losing central vision gives you a very direct understanding of why research matters.
Medical retina is a strange area of medicine because some parts of it feel incredibly advanced and others still feel frustratingly limited. We can produce remarkable retinal imaging and preserve sight in ways that would have seemed impossible not that long ago, but there are still conditions where the options remain limited. Research is so important because that is what changes our options over time. Supporting Sight Research UK therefore felt like a very straightforward decision. Returning to distance running after five years off was probably less straightforward.
I’m 31 and live in Yorkshire with my husband, our two-year-old daughter and Sebastian, our ragdoll cat, who spends most of his time either asleep or directly in the way. Professionally, I work in ophthalmology specialising in clinical quality, governance and patient safety. I am lucky to lead this incredible and important agenda over 23 surgical centres nationally, in an organisation that puts patient care at the heart of everything that it does.
Outside of work, I’m obsessed with Formula 1, particularly Lewis Hamilton, which means Abu Dhabi 2021 still occasionally gets mentioned in my house in the same tone people use when discussing historical disasters. I love ice hockey, physics and palaeontology, and I’ve had a long-standing fascination with dinosaurs which eventually resulted in a T. rex skull tattoo being permanently etched on my bicep. To add even more variety to my hobbies, I am also an avid crocheter.
And hopefully over the next 6 months I can add ‘seasoned runner’ to this list of hobbies!”
Every 6 minutes a person in the UK will be told they will lose their sight.That's 0 lives changed today so far.Another in 6m 00sWhat’s your running experience?
“I used to run a lot and have completed marathons in the past, but the last few years gradually became more focused on work, studying and family life. Getting back into running after five years out, and in my thirties, has been interesting. Mentally, I still assume I’m capable of exactly what I could do in my twenties. Physically, there has been some slight resistance to this plan!
That said, I’ve enjoyed returning to it. Running is one of the few things that feels very uncomplicated, you either went out and did it or you didn’t.”
Why The Big Half?
“The Big Half felt like the right balance between ambitious and achievable whilst working full time, studying for an MSc in Optometry and Ophthalmology at UCL, and parenting a two-year-old. Running for a sight research charity also makes the whole thing feel worthwhile, knowing that it is for a valuable cause.”
Meet Holly
Holly’s story follows her recent commitment to run a half marathon and raise money for Sight Research UK. You can support her journey here:
