This year, I am doing Movember in memory of my Dad, who passed away last year. 

My Dad was a loving family man to my Mum, Me, my Brother and Sister.

You could always find us down at the cricket nets, a field, or a football pitch somewhere. We would always be seen at Reading Football Club or an away game as a family, we would always be together and supporting one another.

In September 2013, after a routine hernia operation, my Dad started to experience pain in his right hip. After several months of severe pain, nearly unable to walk, going to and from the Doctors, taking Morphine and being treated for Hip Bursa, my Dad went to a private consultant on 8th January 2014, who diagnosed him with a rare high grade form of cancer, Osteosarcoma.

On March 3rd, my Dad started his first round of a very harsh 12 week course of Chemotherapy at Churchill Hospital in Oxford, each time having to stay in for 3/4 days. 

After the second round of treatment, my Dad went into renal failure and the drug used was then omitted from his course. He continued the remainder of his treatment and on June 19th 2014, my Dad had his right front and back pelvis removed, along with his right hip and the top of his right femur bone. 

They did manage to save his leg, but he could not have replacement surgery, so it left him disabled and unable to walk or move his leg.

After a long tiresome depressive month in Churchill hospital, he was discharged home to my Mum and district nurses to be cared for.

Once at home my Dads wounds were having to be dressed up to 5 times a day,  but he would not give in and be debilitated to a wheelchair, so everyday my Dad would use a frame and try to walk. 

After 3 months he was gradually starting to walk, very slowly, but up on his feet, his wounds nearly healing and finally coming to an end.

At the beginning of October, a tiny small part of his wound started to overgrow. Immediately he contacted his consultant, to which he was seen on the 20th October and it was with devastating news that we learnt, the cancer had started to grow back again in the soft tissue of his scar.

After 6 days of seeing his consultant in Oxford, he was rushed into hospital with Sepsis and his tumour trebled in size.

He underwent a very high level dose of Radiotherapy to reduce the size of his tumour hoping to start the gruelling Chemotherapy once again, but unfortunately this was not meant to be and he was diagnosed as terminal.

On Christmas Day 2014, sadly my Dad lost his fight against this very rare cancer aged 45, leaving behind my Mum and the 3 of us aged 22, 17 and me just 15.

   

Just prior to my Dad having surgery, he agreed for his bone, tissue and blood be sent to research. This was distributed to the National Cancer Institute in America and here in the UK where Doctors and students from Oxford University study all areas of cancer. 

Osteosarcoma is a very rare form of cancer with only 400-500 people a year diagnosed with it. 

I would like to raise money for Sarcoma UK who fund their own research into this terrible disease.

To do this, I will undergo Movember in which I will not be shaving for the entire period of November. Due to now being 16, I am unable to grow facial hair as quick as I would like, so I have given myself a 2 week head-start, let’s see how far it will grow.