Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm running the Mablethorpe Marathon on October 7th to raise funds for GIST Support. A great group that gives support to GIST patients and their carers.

GIST is a very rare form of cancer that causes tumours in the digestive tract. It is so rare that there are only between 200-900 cases diagnosed in the UK each year.

You can imagine then how shocked we were when my lovely wife, Astrid, was diagnosed with GIST at the beginning of this year.

Advice and support with how to deal with GIST is not easy to come by as most GPs and health professionals have never experienced this form of cancer. It took Astrid months of scans and intrusive tests to get the diagnosis she needed to begin treatment.

This is where GIST Support comes in - not only do they give invaluable support to patients and carers but they promote and support research and the education of health professionals to ensure that all patients get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.

Please help me to raise as much money as possible so that they can continue their great work.

On a personal note, Astrid is recovering brilliantly after successful surgery to remove the tumour in March. Great strides have been made in the last few years for ongoing control of this cancer and your donations will go some way to making sure that this continues!