Dear Friends, Family and people I am yet to meet,

Twelve years ago while sitting around our kitchen table I was told that my Mum had been diagnosed with cancer.

Being 14 I can't say I was too sure about what it all meant, but could definitely sense Mum wasn't being totally honest when telling us "It's all going to be OK". What we hadn't been told was that she had been diagnosed with 3rd degree cancer of the ovaries, liver and bowel.

Sadly due to lack of knowledge and awareness, she'd been repeatedly told beforehand that it was IBS, it was her diet, it was the lack of fibre, too much fibre. Everything but Cancer. And now, here we were, round the kitchen table with this shocking news.

My sister began crying and my brother followed. I sat in silence. I sat in shock. Cancer meant death. 

As the chemotherapy began we watched our Mum lose weight, lose her hair and lose her colour. The illness left her looking skeletal and getting ever closer to death. I don't think we knew at the time quite how close to death she really was. She didn't tell us the doctor's had told her that she might have to say "goodbye".

Then things began to change. She began getting better. The colour returned to her face and slowly her hair returned. After two years of health sadly she was back in hospital as the cancer had returned. Yet again she was reduced to baldness as the chemotherapy took effect, and yet again my family almost lost their rock. 

Luckily for us the chemotherapy, the radiotherapy and the brilliant doctors our Mum were given saved her life. We can still have our Christmas dinners, our Birthdays and our family (see photo inset). For some people sadly this isn't the case.

I can't imagine the latter, but when I think about it all I do generally have a pretty big cry.

Anyhow, my mum has been made the face of Ovarian Cancer Action due to her determination not to die and her lucky escape. She is a sign that with the right care we can overcome this. 

I'm running this Duathlon for her and for the charity. It's a 20km run followed by a 77km cycle then a 10km run top it off and is definitely going to be the hardest thing I've done.

If you would kindly donate something that would also be amazing.

Lots of love,

 

Ross Walker

 

P.S If you could kindly share this around that would also be great!