Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In August 2013 our lives got turned upside down when our lovely Dad, Papa Barney, got diagnosed as being terminally ill with advanced kidney cancer. This came as a massive shock as Dad hadn't had any symptoms other than a water infection. Shortly after discovering this devastating news Papa Barney had been taken to Guys hospital and had the 16.5 cm tumour removed along with his right kidney and the lymph nodes surrounding that kidney. The team at Guys hospital are excellent and Papa Barney has  continued to keep his care with them up until this day.

Early into Dads cancer journey he made the decision to include St Barnabas in his care plan in order to manage his pain which would then enable him to continue his active lifestyle. (Some of us would argue too active and spend the majority of our time telling him to slow down which often falls on deaf ears!) As most of you know, Papa Barney is a very active person, he is a keen fisherman, he likes to shoot and has many hobbies which include volunteering. Dad volunteers for the National Coastwatch Institution and HM Coastguard, something he is very passionate about.  

Dad has now been battling cancer for 3 years, which hasn't been plain sailing! Regular scans showed that Dad then had additional tumours in both lungs, shoulders, bottom rib and on his skull. (and yes, he was still out rescuing people with the Coastguard - what a man!) Throughout this time Papa Barney has dipped into the services of St Barnabas as needed to help manage his pain. We, as his family have also used their services too.

Unfortunately, in October of this year, Dad was diagnosed with more tumours, of which are now on his spine and lymph nodes in his back. This has led Dad to  using St Barnabas House in a new way. Dad was admitted as a inpatient to the hospice on the 12th November in order to manage his pain control. Dad spent 2 weeks there before being transferred to Guys hospital for further radiotherapy. The care and compassion Papa Barney received from the hospice was nothing short of amazing. The help given to Dad and us as his family has gone far beyond all expectations. The whole experience of St Barnabas has been overwhelming, from the minute you enter the building, the building itself, the room, the wonderful staff and of course the care he received.

As most of you will already know, I like to run. I had already signed myself up to run the Brighton Half and Full Marathon in 2017 but after seeing first hand the amazing care the hospice provides, I decided to change my place from a general entry and to run for the hospice instead. The hospice soley depends on donations in order for it to continue to provide people like my Dad with the outstanding level of care they do and also their families, families like us. The hospice isn't government funded therefore, every single penny donated helps a great deal. I am kindly asking you, to donate, small or large to help this wonderful charity that will continue to help my dad, us, and many others.

After watching the strength, determination and the courage my Dad has shown fighting cancer it's safe to say that he often wakes up and feels like he's ran a marathon every day! Please dig deep and support this amazing charity. I am hoping to raise £10 per mile for each run. For the Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) I am hoping to raise £131, and for the Marathon (26.2 Miles) £262. A total of £393 for the hospice.

**EDIT - Within 2 days of setting up my JustGiving page I had reached my original target! Thank you to all of you that have been so generous and kind to donate. I am overwhelmed by your generosity.Thank you for helping to support a charity so close to not only my heart but my family's too. I have now raised the target to £800. I am hoping that we can now smash this target by the time I run Brighton Marathon in April. Lets dig deep folks!

And finally, to my Dad, who's still showing no signs of slowing down, KEEP FIGHTING, WE LOVE YOU! xxxxxxxx

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