A DAUGHTER who fell into “absolute turmoil” after losing her dad will be running the London Marathon in his memory.

Nina Simone Alicia Alleyne, from Southend, will be raising money for the British Lung Foundation.

Although it was pneumonia which eventually took her dad’s life, Bentley Alleyne suffered with various lung conditions during his lifetime, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of lung conditions which cause breathing difficulties, and Sarcoidosis, a rare condition which causes small patches of red and swollen tissue, called granulomas, to develop in the organs of the body.

She said: “When I lost dad, I came a bit unstuck, my life has lacked direction since.

“I gave up and didn’t see a way to continue. I stopped working and was really headed to a breakdown.

“Dad had always fought pneumonia, but I couldn’t understand how that was his killer. I bombarded the British Lung Foundation, in absolute turmoil.

“Being chosen to represent the British Lung Foundation at the marathon has enabled me to direct all my grief, anger, resentment and guilt into something constructive, focusing my energies into transforming despair into something positive.”

She added: “There’s now a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m up and about, even though before I couldn’t get up for weeks on end.

“I was so distraught. Nobody ever tells you how to deal with losing a loved one. The support I had from the British Lung Foundation was amazing. I could call them anytime and they’d always be so helpful. Even now, they still check on me.

“Now I have a completely different ethos. After all my dad invested in me, it’s time I left a positive legacy for him.

“I won’t let him down, and he’ll be with me every step of the way. I keep having visions of dad joining me at the finish line.

“He is my driving force and I’m doing this for his memory and for everyone with lung disorders.”

The 39-year-old will be joining 130 other runners as part of the British Lung Foundation’s #TeamBreathe marathon team, and is hoping for as many people as possible to come out to add to the atmosphere and cheer on the runners.

Nina is aiming to raise £4,222 for the charity’s research, support and campaigning work, to help fight the impact of lung disease across the UK, as well as aiming to increase awareness of lung disease.

Amanda Ball, director of fundraising at the British Lung Foundation, said: “We’re so grateful to Nina for her fantastic support, and we can’t wait to cheer her on! It’s thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of people like Nina... that we are able to continue our vital work.”