Hi Everyone, 

I'll be running my second London Marathon on the 29th April having previously done it in 2016.  

This time around I gained my place in the ballot which is known to be extremely difficult to be successful in. To give an idea, I've entered the ballot every year for the past 6 years and have never got a place. When I ran In 2016 I went directly through a charity. So with this in mind I really wasn't expecting to get a place.  Additionally having broke my ankle & foot last year meant I was not running regularly at all, so it will be a big task. 

However, I was delighted to get a place and having got one via the ballot meant I could choose if I wanted to run for a charity and also enabled me to research different charities. 

As most of you will know we lost my Mum in September 2017 very very shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer to her lung and liver.  She was not afforded the opportunity to start any form of cancer treatment so with this heavily in mind I've decided to fundraise for the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).

The ICR are relatively small and unknown in comparison to some other larger cancer research organisations so please read the below and visit their website to find out more about the work they do: 

Cancer is a highly complex disease with more than 200 types, each caused by a different combination of genetic defects. Even among patients with a single type of cancer, such as breast or lung cancer, the genetic triggers vary from one person to the next. At The Institute of Cancer Research, London, we believe it is important to take into account those differences as we discover new cancer treatments – an approach known as personalised medicine.

Our scientific strategy focuses on three main areas, each designed to support the delivery of personalised cancer treatment:

• Our scientists work to identify the genes that cause cancer, and understand how a combination of genetics and the environment helps determine a person's cancer risk.
• We aim to understand the biology of tumours, by discovering the genes that drive cancers, and how tumours evolve within a person's body and shape their environment.
• We design new cancer treatments applying our biological knowledge about cancers to target their specific genetic weak points, and developing more focused radiotherapy to treat tumours more effectively while reducing side-effects.

The ICR works closely with our partner hospital, The Royal Marsden, in delivering our strategy, so we can take the results of our research as quickly as possible to patients in clinical trials. We also learn lessons from the clinical experience with new treatments, and adjust our research priorities accordingly.

Please donate whatever you can. No donation is too
small!

Thanks,

John

Thanks for taking the time to visit
my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.